


The Wolves

by Devil_wears_yoga_pants



Category: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV 2018), Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alpha - Freeform, Betty Cooper & Sweet Pea Friendship, Bisexual Archie Andrews, Bonding, F/F, F/M, LuNa - Freeform, M/M, Mating Bites, Mating Bond, Mating Rituals, Past Veronica Lodge/Reggie Mantle, Protective Sweet Pea (Riverdale), Shameless Smut, Smut, Wolf Pack, sweetvee
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:02:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 33,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28024419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Devil_wears_yoga_pants/pseuds/Devil_wears_yoga_pants
Summary: “I’ve put up with your childish tantrums for long enough, mija,” he’d said to her that morning, his eyes glowing as he towered over her, “I expect your bags to be packed within the hour, or you can go without anything, I don’t care.”She gently spun the ring on her right hand, a stupid promise between two kids; they both knew it could  never happen, this day had been promised since before her birth. They had fought their attraction to each other for years, neither seeing the point, but he’d kissed her one day in the hallway between classes and that was the end of any denial she’d been clinging to.“We can run away, you don’t have to do this,” he’d said to her the night before as her head laid gently on his chest, “I can take care of you.”She wished with everything she had that she could, but she knew that it would only delay the inevitable and bring embarrassment and shame to her family. She was promised to the Riverdale pack.Riverdale.It felt like some distant hell that had been threatening her for her entire life. And now as she sped towards it, all the fear she’d been hiding under the surface was overflowing.Riverdale 15 miles
Relationships: Archie Andrews/Fangs Fogarty, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz (minor), Dr. Cerberus/Hilda Spellman, Veronica Lodge/Sweet Pea
Comments: 18
Kudos: 39





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Should I be posting a second story while I still have one in process...probably not...
> 
> Let me know that you were here :)

Veronica stared out the window as the world sped by her. Everything looked boring. The city had disappeared in the rearview mirror ages ago and now all she could see where vast fields of nothing. It was funny to her how numb she felt in this moment; she had violently fought her father in the months leading up to her 18th birthday, the constant yelling and door slamming seeming to be a way of greeting for them. Now, as he sat there next to her, a defeated silence had settled between them.

_“I’ve put up with your childish tantrums for long enough, mija,” he’d said to her that morning, his eyes glowing as he towered over her, “I expect your bags to be packed within the hour, or you can go without anything, I don’t care.”_

She gently spun the ring on her right hand, a stupid promise between two kids; they both knew it could never happen, this day had been promised since before her birth. They had fought their attraction to each other for years, neither seeing the point, but he’d kissed her one day in the hallway between classes and that was the end of any denial she’d been clinging to.

_“We can run away, you don’t have to do this,” he’d said to her the night before as her head laid gently on his chest, “I can take care of you.”_

She wished with everything she had that she could, but she knew that it would only delay the inevitable and bring embarrassment and shame to her family. She was promised to the Riverdale pack.

Riverdale.

It felt like some distant hell that had been threatening her for her entire life. And now as she sped towards it, all the fear she’d been hiding under the surface was overflowing.

_Riverdale 15 miles_

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“Come on Pea, it’s not that bad,” Betty tried to coax him out of bed.

“Easy for you to say, you’re not the one who has to mate with some uptight Park Avenue princess,” he groaned, pulling the blankets up over his head.

“Maybe she’ll be nice?” Betty shrugged as she pulled the sheets back down, her green eyes staring innocently down on him.

“You’re too trusting, Coop,” he sighed reaching out and pulling her down against him.

“And you’re too stubborn” she countered, throwing her arm across his chest.

Sweet Pea shut his eyes as he lazily ran his fingers over Betty’s shoulder. If he tried hard enough, he could almost forget about what today meant, not just for him but for his whole pack. The burden of caring for them was placed on him from the day he was born, a responsibility he didn’t take lightly.

“I bet she’s pretty” Betty hummed as she closed her eyes and nuzzled closer to Sweet Pea’s chest.

Sweet Pea felt his heart break at the sound of his best friend’s voice. He never understood how she didn’t see herself like he did. Who was he kidding? He knew exactly why, an anger rolling through his chest as he thought of Alice. He refused to call her Betty’s mother, that term should be saved for someone who loved and cared for their children unconditionally, not some crazy half-timer who popped in and out of Betty’s life and only stayed long enough to wreak havoc on her. One of Sweet Pea’s first acts after becoming alpha was to dismiss Alice from the pack, banning her from their territory and stripping her of their protection.

“There’s no way she has anything on you,” Sweet Pea kissed the top of her head comfortingly.

“I hope that we’ll be friends” Betty blushed at his comment.

“She’s lucky to get to be friends with you,” he opened his eyes and stared out the window, the sun was high enough now that she must be close, the ceremony would take place at sundown. He felt his heart skip at that thought. In just a few hours his entire world would change, and he wasn’t sure he was ready for any of it.

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Veronica bit her lip as she looked up at the large building in front of her. Her dad had already crossed in front of the car and was walking up the steps, pausing at the door to wait for her. He wouldn’t even look her way, his eyes trained on the railing in front of him as he straightened his suit jacket.

“No turning back now, Lodge,” she mumbled to herself, her hand shaking as she reached for the door handle.

She could smell the rain in the air and chuckled to herself, the sound of the gravel crunching beneath her feet echoing in her ears. She’d have to stop wearing heels that’s for sure, checking off one more thing on the list of Things That Totally Blow, right under this antiquated notion that she was used as some sort of currency and right above leaving her family.

“Really Veronica, can’t you at least pretend that you weren’t drug here against your will?” her father rolled his eyes annoyed before ringing the bell to alert their arrival.

Veronica closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her hands tightly gripping the handles of her purse.

The front door swung opened and a young girl about Veronica’s age with fiery red hair stood in the doorway. “Hello,” she chirped, her eyes scanning over Veronica, “We’ve been expecting you” she smirked as she stepped aside and motioned for them to come in.

Her father cleared his throat as he stepped into the front room, his eyes cataloging every detail.

“Where’s your alpha? I was told he would be here to greet me,” he clipped, his fingers curling into fists.

The girl rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hip, “Someone will be by to take you to him; you know it goes against custom for them to see each other before the ceremony,” she snapped her eyes settling back on Veronica. “You can follow me upstairs,” she turned back to Hiram, “please don’t touch anything, it’s all very valuable.”

Veronica chuckled to herself, reveling in the moment that someone finally spoke so dismissively to him.

“You can thank me for that later” she said under her breath, leading Veronica down a long hall and opening the door at the end. “My name is Cheryl,” her voice had softened since speaking to her father, shutting the door and smiling sweetly at her, “you can talk freely in here, the room he’s waiting in has been sound proofed so he can’t hear you.”

Veronica eyed her cautiously, unsure if she could, or should, trust her. “I’m Veronica,” she stood nervously near the wall, her eyes following Cheryl as she moved further into the room.

“Betty was hoping to be here by now, but she’s still trying to get SP ready,” she closed the blinds and turned on one of the lamps, “so, you get me to help you get ready for now.”

Veronica didn’t know either of the names but felt grateful that Cheryl was putting off a calming scent.

“Fangs will take your bags to SP’s house when he comes to get your dad,” Cheryl explained, heading to the closet and opening the door.

“This isn’t where I’m staying?” Veronica asked quietly.

“No, this is my house,” she answered pulling out a garment bag and laying it on the bed, “SP’s house is only a few miles away.”

Veronica’s heartbeat increased as she watched Cheryl unzip the bag, the white fabric peeking out bringing her back to reality. She wasn’t here making a new friend. She was about to be mated with an alpha she knew nothing about.

“Ok, take a breath for me,” Cheryl reached her hands out to steady Veronica, “I know it’s a lot, but just a few more hours and then it will all be over.”

“I’ve never met him,” Veronica choked out, “I don’t even know what he looks like or how he’s going to treat me,” Veronica felt foolish at the tears that were streaming from her face, “my whole life has been about this day and I still feel so unprepared.”

Cheryl kneeled on the ground at Veronica’s feet, one hand holding onto hers the other gently stroking her back.

“SP is the best man I know,” Cheryl stated simply.

“He will put you above everything else,” Betty smiled softly from the door, her eyes flicking from Veronica to Cheryl as she slowly walked into the room, “he is stubborn and a bit pig-headed from time to time, but if you give him a chance, he will love you fiercely.”

She stopped next to Cheryl and lowered gracefully to the ground, “I know that we’re not technically allowed to show you what he looks like, but I thought that maybe I could show you a picture of me and Cheryl instead,” Betty pulled out her phone and scrolled to a picture holding it out for her to look at.

Veronica trembled as she took the phone from Betty’s hands, her brows drawing together as she stared at the image of Cheryl and Betty laughing with their arms around each other. Veronica took a breath and was about to ask Betty why she was showing this to her when her eyes pulled in on a dark-haired man standing in the background. He was younger than she thought he’d be and, if she was getting the scale right, quite a bit taller than her. He was smiling brightly at something out of the shot and she let out the breath she’d been holding, butterflies settling deep inside her as she stared at him.

Veronica looked up and handed the phone back to Betty, a hint of pink shading her cheeks embarrassingly.

“He’s broken quite a few hearts over the years,” Betty chuckled as Cheryl rolled her eyes. “He’s waited for you his whole life too; and I know for a fact that he is just a nervous as you are.”

“Thank you” Veronica bit her lip as she sat up straight, Betty and Cheryl moving to sit beside her on the bed.

“I’m Betty by the way,” Veronica couldn’t help but stare at the different shades of green in her eyes, the mixture a perfect replica of the trees they drove through on the way here, “I’m Sweet Pea’s best friend, and I’m here to help you get ready, if that’s ok?”

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Sweet Pea took a deep breath as he toweled off his hair, the weight of the next few hours forming a knot in his neck. Betty had left to take care of Veronica and he felt her absence lingering as he looked around at all the holes where her stuff used to reside.

Betty moved in with him a few years ago when he promised to never make her face her mother alone. It had never been an intimate relationship with the pair, it was a bond much deeper than that as she was the only person he’d ever considered family outside of his parents. But now, as he looked at the empty toothbrush holder on her side of the sink, he realized just how intertwined their worlds had become.

“Yo, boss!” a voice called from down the hall, “The old man’s out-front waiting for you; where do you want me to put her stuff?”

Sweet Pea thought for a moment as he continued to look at the toothbrush holder. “Put it all in Betty’s room,” he sighed.

Sweet Pea pulled his shirt over his head and moved down the hall, greeting Fangs as he passed by him and quirking his brow in question.

“He’s a bit of a dick,” Fangs answered under his breath, “and you know Cher, she riled him up pretty good before I got there.”

Sweet Pea let out a frustrated sigh. “Should have known better than to let her be there alone,” he smiled appreciatively as he pushed pass him and stopped in the living room. “Wow, he is pissed,” he mumbled as he shook his head to rid himself of the older wolf’s scent that had blown in from the open door.

“Is this some kind of joke, keeping me waiting is a sign of disrespect,” Hiram spat as Sweet Pea came out to the front porch.

Sweet Pea eyed him silently, his shoulders squaring naturally as he stepped closer to him a low growl rumbling in his throat.

Hiram cleared his throat and straightened his jacket, “I’ve left my daughter for you, can assume that everything else is in order?” he asked, his eyes dropping to the ground in front of him.

Sweet Pea nodded, “After tonight, our packs will be joined, and I will offer you the same protection I have awarded my pack.”

“And my daughter?” Hiram questioned, his eyes floating to briefly meet Sweet Pea’s before moving back to the ground.

“Is no longer any of your concern,” he growled, “You made this deal with my parents twenty years ago and I am honoring that promise. Loyalty means everything to me; I expect that I can trust you to follow through on your word.”

“Are you questioning my honor?” Hiram growled.

“You and my father did business together, not me,” Sweet Pea snarled, “I am following through on a promise I made to him; you’ve given me no reason to trust you.”

Hiram swallowed hard and nodded his head, backing slowly off the porch and turning quickly to move towards his car.

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“and all I have to do is find him in the forest tonight?” Veronica asked as she slid the zipper up the side of her dress.

“Did your parents never explain the claiming ceremony to you?” Betty asked curiously as she finished curling Veronica’s hair.

“My mom died when I was really young, and my dad,” she took a deep breath and thought about how to explain Hiram Lodge in such a vague description, “let’s just say, he never saw the value in talking to me.”

“My mom was horrible too” Betty smiled sympathetically, “Pea was always there to protect me from her when it got really bad though.”

“Did you guys ever date?” Veronica could smell the faint scent of him on her from the moment she walked into the room, a fact that did little to comfort her.

She chuckled softly and shook her head, “The love that I have for him is so pure and innocent; I’m not sure I could ever love anyone the way that I love him. But, there’s just something missing, you know, like that spark of excitement that speeds through your body when the guy you like comes into the room. I’ve never felt that with him.”

“You make it sound so poetic,” Veronica watched her closely in the mirror as Betty’s eyes glassed over in daydream.

“I want a mate who will be my equal, someone who will challenge me to be better. Sweet Pea has this savior complex where he’s always stepping in to save me even when I don’t want to be saved,” Betty blinked a few times before locking eyes with Veronica in the mirror, “oh, please don’t think I’m talking bad about him, he’s still the most wonderful man I’ve ever known; but he’s just not for me.”

Veronica nodded as she bit her lip and spun the ring on her right hand nervously. She looked down at it and frowned. Reggie was a lot of things, a perfect distraction in the years leading up to this day, but he wasn’t her soulmate. She couldn’t be sure that Sweet Pea would be that for her either, but there was something in the scent that she caught off of Betty, a tiny flutter she felt when she smelled it for the first time, that made her think that just maybe he could be good for her. She slowly pulled the ring from her finger and placed it gently on the vanity in front of her.

“I’m nervous,” she admitted shyly.

“I’d be worried for you if you weren’t” Betty lightly laughed, “but Cheryl and I will be with you up to the point that you enter the forest.”

“And then what?” Veronica swallowed her nerves as she turned to look directly at Betty.

“And then we’ll put the blindfold on and I’ll open the box that I brought with me,” Betty motioned to the square wooden box sitting on the bed, “It has one of Sweet Pea’s shirts in it, so you can get his scent. And then, all you have to do is find him.”

“You make it sound so simple” Veronica laughed nervously.

“I know that we don’t know each other very well, but I do know Sweet Pea, probably better than anyone else on this planet, and I know that he’s going to find you tonight,” Betty tried to comfort her. 

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Sweet Pea stood at the edge of the forest, his heart beating wildly as he stared at the wooden box in his hands. She was in there, well, not her per se, but her scent. He’d done his best to stay away from Betty’s room that afternoon as he finished getting ready, afraid that she would take him over before he was ready. There had been soft breezes every now and then, like green apple when he was brushing his teeth, and warm vanilla as he was getting changed. He knew it wasn’t Betty, she smelled like honey and sunshine. No, the sweet smells wafting through his house obviously belonged to her.

“You nervous boss?” Fangs asked next to him, the blindfold dangling from his fingers.

“What do you think?” he bit, squeezing the box tightly between his hands.

“I think that she’s going to be easy to find, her bags nearly knocked me over when I carried them in this morning,” he sighed remembering the scent, “she smells heavenly.”

Sweet Pea growled lowly as he looked at Fangs from the corner of his eye.

“Relax Pea,” Fangs rolled his eyes, stepping behind him to tie the blindfold over his eyes, “We all know that she’s yours. Besides, we don’t exactly play on the same team.”

Sweet Pea let out the breath he’d been holding. He knew that Fangs didn’t mean anything by it, but the closer they got to this moment the more his instincts were kicking in. She was his, a thought so foreign considering he’d never even met her.

“Alright, you know what to do,” Fangs clapped his hands on Sweet Pea’s shoulders and backed away.

Sweet Pea waited until he heard Fangs’ car pull out of the driveway behind him and move down the street before he lifted the box in his hands, his fingers trembling as he let his thumbs draw along the seam of the lid.

He took a step back as he opened the box, the familiar green apple and warm vanilla he’d been smelling all afternoon swirled around him, but it was the new scents that knocked him off balance. A hint of spice, cinnamon maybe? No, it was stronger than that, sweeter? He inhaled again and felt the world around him spin, as the woodsy scent of bourbon flooded his senses.

He dropped the box to the ground, her scarf twisted between his fingers as he stepped into the forest to find her.

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Veronica took a deep breath as Cheryl tied the blindfold gently over her eyes.

“It’s time” Betty whispered as she placed the box into her waiting hands.

Both girls backed away slowly leaving Veronica alone. In all honestly, there was a large part of her that wanted to rip the blindfold off and run in the opposite direction and never look back. But another part, a part much larger than she had anticipated, wanted to find him.

She slowly opened the box and gasped at the scent of the soft fabric that was folded inside. He smelled strong like tabaco and leather, but also soft like lavender and oranges, with a hint of cedar. She felt the butterflies from earlier return low in her belly as a heat began to pool within her.

She was moving forward before she knew it, the fallen leaves and twigs breaking beneath her bare feet. Without her sight the rest of her senses had heightened and coaxed her deeper into the woods. The distant call of frogs signaling for their mates rose around her, the smell of the rain threatening to pour overhead.

Veronica stopped in her tracks as the scent of lavender blew past her, her nose tipping into the air to follow it as she turned to her right and pressed on.

She wasn’t sure what she had expected this night to be, but her nerves had moved from dread to curiosity as she let herself imagine what life in this little town would be like.

Perhaps they would spend weekends in bed, lazily ravishing each other while the sun rose around them. Maybe they would run through this very forest on the night of the full moon, the wind blowing over her fur as she leapt across the uneven forest floor. She’d cook him all the recipes her grandmother had taught her after her mom died, and they’d laugh and feed each other at their dining room table. She could have a happy life here, free from all of the hate and coldness that she’d grown accustomed to with her father.

The snapping of a twig in front of her caused her to still, her heart pounding wildly in her chest as she sensed him for the first time. 

“Veronica?” his voice was deep and rumbled through her veins dangerously.

Her voice felt thick in her throat as she opened her mouth to respond, a heavy reply rolling off her breath in a throaty moan.

“Stay where you are,” he demanded.

She sucked in her breath; her hands stuck to her side even though every instinct in her was screaming to reach out for him. He surrounded her, his scent strengthening with each passing second, the sound of his feet moving quickly towards her, her fingers clinging to the fabric from the box. She licked her lips, wanting to know what he would taste like.

She felt his breath on the back of neck sending chills down her spin as he hovered over her.

“I didn’t think I’d find you so fast” he growled, his hands ghosting over her arms as he stepped closer to her.

He nipped at her pulse point before running his nose against her scent gland a guttural moan vibrating against her skin as his tongue licked a long stripe up her neck.

“My dad always said it would be easy, this part,” he chuckled against her skin.

“I wasn’t sure what this was going to be like,” her breath hitched in her throat as she waited for some sort of direction from him.

“You smell sweet, but also kind of dangerous,” he smiled as his hands trailed up her arms, the goosebumps rising under his fingertips exciting him. He couldn’t believe he already felt this connection with someone he’d never met.

“My friends say I smell like baked goods after a night at the bar,” she chuckled to herself, the vision of Archie and Jughead curled around her after a night of drinking flashing through her brain.

“That’s the perfect way to describe it,” he circled her again as he tried to find his bearings.

“It’s nicer here than thought it would be,” her hand reaching out to him to steady herself.

“What did you think it would be?” he loved her voice, the softness tickling through him soothingly.

“I don’t know,” she smiled as she thought about it, “it has felt like nowhere my whole life, like some void that was going to swallow me whole.”

“And now?” he stopped in his tracks, his heart stalling as he waited for her answer.

“Maybe falling into the void won’t be so bad,” she whispered, “as long as you’re there.”

“I’ve never wanted to mark someone before you,” he whispered in her ear his fingers intertwining with hers.

“Please” she begged, tilting her head to give him more access.

He let his hands drag across her waist as he circled her again, stopping once he was in front of her, she could hear the strong and steady beat of his heart begin to quicken.

“What are you waiting for?” she asked nervously, afraid that her father might have been right all these years and that she may not be good enough.

“You’re scared, I can feel it,” he spoke softly, attempting to comfort her but he knew she was too worked up.

“I want to be good enough for you,” she wasn’t sure where her voice was coming from, showing this level of vulnerability was foreign to her. _You have to be strong in this world, mija,_ her father would say.

“I have waited for you my entire life,” he tipped her chin up and placed a tender kiss to her lips.

“What is it going to feel like?” she asked, her fingers gripping tightly to the front of his shirt.

“My father told me it is a connection more intense than you’ve ever felt before, a link between our souls,” he answered nuzzling his face in her neck.

“Will it hurt?” she whimpered as he nipped at her again.

“For a second, but then you will feel pleasure,” he pulled her closer to his chest, “I promise to be as gentle as I can.”

Veronica nodded and took a deep breath to steady herself, “I’m ready,” she moaned as his tongue licked slowly over her. She felt the warmth of his breath as he inhaled and then a sharp pinch as his teeth sunk into her flesh.

The pain radiated into a burn as her knees gave out, but he steadied her as he wrapped his arm around her waist and held her close to him. It was the briefest of moments, but for her, time seemed to stop and all she could focus on was the heat behind his bite as his teeth ripped through her flesh. And then, just as he promised, the heat radiated from her neck and coursed through her body, settling deep within her as her as she felt a wave of pleasure she’d never known before.

Sweet Pea licked away the blood from her neck, a gentle growl rumbling from his throat that soothed her nerves as she clung to him.

“I want to see you,” she whispered as she reached for the blindfold still tied around her eyes.

“Not yet,” he stopped her hand halfway up, chuckling at the small whine she let out, “Patience; it’s time to shift so we can run together for the first time.”

“But it’s not a full moon?” she followed his voice as he began to pull away from her.

“What does that have to do with anything?” he asked as he pulled his shirt over his head.

“We were only allowed to shift during the full moon,” she explained, her fingers grazing across his bare arms as she stepped forward.

“That’s not how we do it here,” he smiled, thrilled that he would get to be here for her first voluntary shift.

“I guess I don’t need to tell you to turn around,” she teased shyly, unzipping her dress and sliding out of it, being careful to keep the blindfold in place.

Her heart had been beating wildly since she entered the forest, but now, as she stood there naked with the breeze ghosting along her skin, she felt a calmness wash over her as she prepared to shift.


	2. Her heart sank into her shoes as she realized at last how much she wanted him - F. Scott Fitzgerald

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Veronica?” he questioned unsteadily.
> 
> “Sorry,” she chuckled as she shook her head, “I think I’m just tired.”
> 
> “Right, yeah, of course,” Sweet Pea turned and headed to the staircase hating the nervous energy that had settled in the house.
> 
> “Uh, so I guess this is your room” he stepped into the spare room and turned on the light, looking back at her again. “I’m just down the hall on the right, if you need anything or just want to” he blinked at her as she cut him off.
> 
> “Thank you, but I’ll be ok on my own,” she stood back from the door and lowered her eyes to the floor. He wished she’d stop doing that, his memory of how beautiful her eyes were in the forest haunting him.
> 
> Look at me, he thought, why won’t you look at me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy. 
> 
> Please let me know that you were here, or if you like it...

Sweet Pea loved running through this forest. The smell of the oak trees and wildflowers that littered the ground filling his nose, the sound of the frogs and owls echoing against the quiet backdrop, the feeling of the moss beneath his feet as he sprinted across the fallen branches; this forest made him feel at home. He’d run with Betty countless times, and Cheryl and Fangs as well, but running with Veronica was an exciting feeling that he hadn’t quite been prepared for.

He’d caught her eye after they had shifted, before she’d dipped her head in submission, the beautiful gold that speckled in the deep brown of her eyes glittering in the moonlight caused his heart to beat wildly. She stayed in that position for a moment, her head bowed and her front legs low against the ground; and then he saw her tail twitch and she was off, running freely in the direction he’d come from when he had met her.

It took him very little time to catch up to her, but he allowed her to take the lead, wanting to let her explore her new home.

He hated that her father had kept this from her. They were born to run; it was a natural instinct to shift and connect with the wolf within. He could only imagine how difficult her life must have been under the strict and confining rules that her father had imposed upon her.

His father had explained the New York pack to him before he died, wanting him to understand the reasoning behind this union. He’d grown up hating the idea of this predetermined mate that he’d been saddled with. Of course, he hated most of the rules that had been forced upon him. It was hard to understand that he would be the Alpha one day, that every decision he made would determine the safety of his pack. His father tried to prepare him for everything, but his death came so suddenly and Sweet Pea was angry that he didn’t have more time to prepare. But what would be enough time? He knew he would never truly feel ready.

He watched as she stopped suddenly, her nose in the air as she caught the scent of a fox and turned to him with a shy look as she waited for permission. She was so submissive, it both excited and surprised him. He couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride in that moment, to have someone to take care of this way. She darted away as he gave her permission, the low rumble of a howl filling his throat as he called out to his pack, an announcement that the bond was complete.

It was nearly sunrise as they finally made it back to his home, well, their home now he supposed. They had changed into the clothes he’d had left for them before stepping out of the tree line and laying eyes on each other for the first time.

“I’ve forgotten how wonderful it feels to run all night,” Veronica smiled tiredly.

“I can’t believe you’ve only ever shifted with the moon,” Sweet Pea couldn’t help but let his eyes wander to the bite mark as it shimmered with the sweat on her neck. She looked so innocent standing there, her bottom lip trapped securely between her teeth.

They stared at each other from across the lawn, neither moving as the awkwardness set in. They really didn’t know anything about each other. He could feel the nervousness radiating from her as she dropped her eyes to the ground. He didn’t want her to be uncomfortable, not here, not in their home.

He cleared his throat and smiled softly, nodding to the house in front of them, “I don’t know about you, but I could definitely use a shower,” he took a step towards the house without turning back to her; he didn’t need to, he could feel her moving behind him.

His father had told him about this, about the connection that he would feel with her once he marked her. But the sensation was far from what he had expected. It was like his shadow. He knew she was following him, but it was such an unconscious feeling; she had become a part of him somehow. The thought sent chills up his spin as he thought of her. He was glad she couldn’t feel it yet, the connection wouldn’t be complete for her until the full moon when she would mark him in return.

“I had everything put in the spare room for you,” he called as she followed him into the house, pausing to look around the living room.

Veronica silently blinked at him and he felt unsure again, a flicker of doubt crossing his mind as he lost the connection with her. He turned to look at her over his shoulder to make sure she was still there, swallowing his doubt as he watched her look around the room.

She was running her hand gently across the mantle above the fireplace, her eyes slowly taking in the many pictures he had framed. He furrowed his brow as he tried to get a reading on her, as if a wall had suddenly pulled up between them, cutting her off from him.

“Veronica?” he questioned unsteadily.

“Sorry,” she chuckled as she shook her head, “I think I’m just tired.”

“Right, yeah, of course,” Sweet Pea turned and headed to the staircase hating the nervous energy that had settled in the house.

“Uh, so I guess this is your room” he stepped into the spare room and turned on the light, looking back at her again. “I’m just down the hall on the right, if you need anything or just want to” he blinked at her as she cut him off.

“Thank you, but I’ll be ok on my own,” she stood back from the door and lowered her eyes to the floor. He wished she’d stop doing that, his memory of how beautiful her eyes were in the forest haunting him.

 _Look at me_ , he thought, _why won’t you look at me?_

She closed her eyes and for a minute he thought she might have heard him, but when she opened them again, they remained glued to the floor in front of her.

“Goodnight, Veronica,” he sighed as he left her room, flinching as the door softly shut behind him.

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Veronica sighed as she looked at her phone. She’d been lying in bed for hours trying to fall asleep, but her mind wouldn’t stop racing. She was certain that things between them had been different in the forest, but when they got back to his home, he felt distant as she looked at the pictures of him and Betty framed all over his house.

The words that Betty had said to her repeated through her mind on a broken loop; she knew that Betty wasn’t in love with him, she trusted her about that. But her scent was all over the house, and he looked so happy in the pictures of them. She couldn’t find a single one where he didn’t have his arms wrapped tightly around her. _Sweet Pea has this savior complex where he’s always stepping in to save me even when I don’t want to be saved._ They were so different, almost complete opposite images of each other right down to their appearance. What if she was the girl that he really wanted?

Veronica let out a frustrated breath as she sat up; no point in staying in bed if she wasn’t going to sleep. She quickly put her hair up and dug through her bags until she found her running gear and quickly changed. Maybe a morning run would help clear her mind?

For a brief moment she toyed with the idea of shifting. It would be nice to run through the forest again. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d ran in the daylight. But what if he didn’t really mean it? What if it really wasn’t _that_ different here? He seemed much nicer than her father, but he was still an alpha, and she didn’t want to tempt fait and have him be angry at her so early. No, it was better that she stick with her normal running gear.

She quietly opened the door as to not wake Sweet Pea, but heard the muffled sound of his voice downstairs. She tip toed to the edge of the stairs and held her breath as she listened to him as he spoke.

“I don’t know Coop, I just wish you were still here,” her stomach dropped, she knew she shouldn’t be listening, but she needed to hear more. “Maybe we were just caught up in it last night? I don’t know, I just thought it would be different you know? I mean, I marked her, but then just nothing?” Veronica felt her heart squeeze tightly in her chest as she took a deep breath. “Wait, I think she’s up.” Veronica panicked and started down the stairs, untangling the wire for her headphones as she tried desperately to keep the tears that were forming from falling down her cheeks.

“Veronica!” Sweet Pea called after her as she made it to the front door.

She stopped in her tracks but refused to turn around, afraid that looking at him would make her cry.

“Where are you going?” he asked carefully.

“I’m just going to head out for a quick run,” she turned her head slightly, enough to catch him standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room.

“If you give me a minute I’ll get changed and come with you” his voice sounded unsure.

“It’s ok, I won’t be gone long,” she quickly opened the door and slid her headphones on in a fluid motion, taking the stairs as fast as she could before setting off down the driveway and turning onto the street at the end.

Veronica ran as the tears poured steadily down her cheeks. She felt so much after he marked her, but he felt nothing. Nothing? She racked her brain as she replayed the events of the night before, the deep timber of his voice as he hovered over her, the spark of electricity she felt when he gently kissed her. It was stronger than she’d been ready for or even anticipated, but he felt nothing? The pang of rejection soured in her stomach forcing her to stop, placing her hands on her knees, she threw up whatever contents still remained in her stomach.

She watched her phone light up on the ground next to her, the familiar name flashing across the screen. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she grabbed her phone and stood up, taking a breath before she answered.

“You’ve got great timing Red,” she sniffed, turning to look down the road she’d just ran.

“You sound like you’ve been crying,” he growled protectively.

“I guess it’s just not what I thought it was going to be,” she replied sadly, turning away from the direction she’d just come from and continuing to walk down the road. “Did you know we’re allowed to shift anytime we want here? That part is pretty great,” she kicked at a rock on the side of the road.

“Ugh, your dad is so uptight,” he sighed jealously, “how’s everything else? Have you replaced me and Jug with new best friends?”

“You and Jug are one of a kind, Arch,” she smiled softly, a new wave of tears rising in her eyes, “I wouldn’t replace you even if I could.”

“Reggie left to go visit his mom in Cali last night,” he awkwardly provided, “according to his Snap it looks like him and Josie reconnected,” she could practically hear the winced expression he was making.

“I’m not surprised; Reggie has always been an out of sight out of mind kind of guy,” she had expected to feel a pang of loss at Archie’s words, but surprisingly enough she felt relief that he and Josie were starting back up again.

“We miss you terribly already,” Archie’s voice taking on that same, familiar eagerness it always did when he was trying to cheer her up. “Jug’s been even more morose than normal, which I didn’t think was even possible.”

“Morose?” she chuckled, “I didn’t think you even knew what that word meant,” she teased.

“I’m beautiful and smart,” he huffed, “plus, without you here he’s got no one else to talk to. I was bound to pick up a few new words.”

Veronica giggled into the phone, her eyes squinting at the red convertible heading towards her. She noticed the red hair flying wildly in the wind before she could make out the face.

“I wish I could talk longer, but I think I have to go,” she frowned as the car slowed down as it pulled up beside her. “Go order Jug the number 8 from Gino’s, that should help turn his frown upside down.”

“Ugh, feeding him is so expensive,” Archie whined, “Love ya, Ronnie.”

“Love you too,” she smiled softly before ending the call, her brows raised in acknowledgement at the two girls staring at her.

“Pea thought you might need a little girl time today,” Betty spoke from her spot in the passenger seat.

Veronica tried to stuff her jealousy down as she forced a smile at her. It wasn’t her fault that Sweet Pea was in love with her, and she couldn’t blame him, Betty was beautiful and sweet, why wouldn’t he be in love with her?

“Get in,” Cheryl demanded nodding to the backseat, “I’ve booked us an appointment for pedicures, figured you could use it after gallivanting through the forest all night.”

Veronica climbed into the back seat and tied her headphones up and stuffed them into her pocket as she relaxed back against the car seat.

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“Yo! Pea!” Fangs yelled as he jogged to catch up with Sweet Pea as he walked into the Wyrm. “Didn’t you hear me calling?” Fangs asked as he followed Sweet Pea towards the back.

“Sorry man, I just have a lot on my mind I guess,” he grumbled, opening the door to his office and crossing to sit at his desk as he shrugged his jacket off and hung it on the back of his chair. 

“Long night with the missus?” Fangs joked as he threw himself onto the couch in the middle of the room. Sweet Pea looked up at him and set his jaw, turning back to the papers sitting on his desk as he shuffled them around. “Oh man, I didn’t mean anything by it,” Fangs stumbled as he sat up and looked apologetically at Sweet Pea.

Sweet Pea sighed as he looked around his desk, standing up he started to pace behind his desk.

“How do you know if you’ve done something to make someone mad at you?” he asked as he popped his neck, he hadn’t slept at all after leaving Veronica alone and it was starting to wear him out.

Fangs chuckled and laid back down on the couch, “Not even 24 hours in and you’ve already stepped in it?”

“You want to be put on night watch?” Sweet Pea stopped in his place and looked at Fangs challenging.

Fangs held his hands up in surrender, “Just teasing.” He smiled lightly as he rested his hands behind his head, “Walk me through what happened, I’ll see if I can help you figure it out.”

Sweet Pea cleared his throat and moved to sit in one of the chairs opposite the couch. “It seemed to be fine when we were in the forest,” a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, “and, uh,” he shook his head to pull out of the memory, “after our first run I brought her inside and she looked around at some of the pictures I have out, but she seemed different. I don’t know how to explain it really, it was like the connection from the bite was wearing off or something? She was just kind of blank.”

“That’s not unheard of,” Fangs shrugged, “You hadn’t mated yet so the bond will kind of come and go. Did it fix itself afterwards?”

Sweet Pea looked to the floor and cracked his knuckles.

“Wait, you guys didn’t even mate?” Fangs stifled his laugh as Sweet Pea’s eyes shot at him. “So, what, you just laid silently in bed all night?”

“I left her in the spare room,” Sweet Pea stopped as Fangs burst into laughter. “That’s it, I’m calling Monroe and putting you on nights for the rest of your life,” he stood and moved back to his desk.

“That’s your problem Pea,” Fangs smiled as he looked across the room at Sweet Pea, “That room reeks of Betty, I smelled it when I was dropping Veronica’s stuff off. You said she got all blank when she was looking at the pictures in your house? Was she looking at the ones of you and Betts on the mantle?” Sweet Pea frowned as he thought about the night before. “Come on man, you basically rubbed Betty in her face and then pouted like a child when she wasn’t jumping you.”

“Betty’s my best friend,” tried to defend himself.

“Alright Mr. Rational,” Fangs sat up and placed his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward, “Let’s try and look at it a different way. What would you have done if you would have gone to Veronica’s house and smelled me all over it? Had to look at pictures with me and her smiling and laughing with each other?” Sweet Pea growled low as he listened to Fangs, an anger rolling through his veins like lava. “You can’t even imagine it without getting all bent out of shape,” Fangs chuckled.

“Fuck,” Sweet Pea cradled his head in his hands as he thought about what she must have thought yesterday.

“I know that it’s going to be hard for you, but you’re gonna have to start untangling yourself from Betty, at least until Veronica gets comfortable with her,” Fangs winced as he said it, expecting Sweet Pea to snap at him.

“Fuck!” he barked jumping from the chair and reaching for his jacket as he frantically pulled his cell phone out of the pocket and quickly dialed her number. “Come on, come on, come on,” he muttered as he listened to the phone ring on the other line, closing his eyes tightly as he got her voicemail, “Betts, I need to talk to you before you go looking for Veronica. It’s important, please call me back as soon as you can.”

Sweet Pea rubbed his hands over his face in frustration, “I can run this pack with my hands tied behind my back, but put me in front of a beautiful girl and I turn into an idiot.”

“Hey Boss?” a knock at the door caused Sweet Pea to straighten up before hollering for them to come in. “Hey, there’s a bit of a problem with the coven and they’ve sent word that they need you to come back them up,” he nodded at Fangs in greeting.

“Thanks Joaquin, tell them I’ll head out in just a minute,” Sweet Pea sighed as he looked at his phone, willing Betty to call him back.

“Want me to go hunt them down, make sure everything’s ok?” Fangs offered, standing up and heading for the door, not waiting for Sweet Pea’s command.

“Thanks, Fangs,” he muttered sadly.

“Man, you look like a kicked puppy,” Fangs stopped in his tracks, “I’ll call if we need you, but trust me, there hasn’t been a woman alive yet that’s been able to resist my charms,” he winked as he turned and headed out of the office.

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Veronica stared at the wall of colors as she listened to Cheryl describe her last date to Betty. She knows that they meant well, but she was finding it hard to let her guard down with them. She let her fingers run over the deep maroons and purples, preferring the way they looked against her skin than the pale pinks that Betty was currently looking at. Should she be looking there too? Is that what he would like?

She hated this desire to please him that was tugging at her gut, she’d never wanted to be so submissive before, but something in the way that he spoke to her in the woods awakened this need to be exactly who he wanted.

Burgundy Pearl? Casino Royal? Dark Lava? Why did nail polishes have such funny names? She tried to imagine what the colors Betty was looking at were called; probably Perfectly Pink or Better Than You Blue.

Betty had been nothing but perfectly kind and friendly to her, which only made Veronica more agitated, how could she ever compete?

“Have you decided on a color?” she asked sweetly, the perfect shade of pink held tightly in her hands.

“Um, yeah” Veronica forced a smile as she reached for the first one she could, a deep green color, and scoffed when she read the name, Jealous Glaze. How fitting, she thought.

“As much as I love talking about myself,” Cheryl grinned as she sat in the center chair, “you’ve been particularly quiet this morning, Veronica, care to share what went on between you and our big, bad alpha?” she quirked her perfectly shaped brow teasingly at her.

“Cheryl,” Betty warned, sitting down on the right side of her friend as she slipped out of her flats, “You don’t have to answer any of her questions, Veronica.”

“It’s ok,” Veronica smiled relaxing back into her chair, “there’s really nothing to report,” Veronica shrugged as she pulled the collar of her jacket tighter against her neck to further cover the new mark.

“Nothing?” Cheryl looked at her disbelievingly, “You’re telling me that you guys didn’t mate last night?”

“Cheryl!” Betty yelled, “Pea is going to demote you if you pry too hard on this.”

“Relax, it’s just a little girl talk,” Cheryl rolled her mockingly at Veronica, “besides, this is what friends are for, right?”

Veronica chuckled lightly, trying to think of how to talk about this with Betty just ten feet away. She took a deep breath and pursed her lips, “I just don’t think I’m the kind of girl he wants,” she smiled kindly at the lady who sat down at her feet.

“Oh God, he can be so dense,” Cheryl rolled her eyes annoyingly, “what did the big oaf say?”

“He didn’t need to say anything, it was just apparent after,” she started her eyes flicking to Betty as she blew out the breath she’d been holding.

“Ladies,” Fangs smirked as he waltzed through the front door of the salon, grabbing one of the rolling chairs and sliding it in front of Cheryl, “I was hoping I’d find you here.”

“Always one to crash a party you weren’t invited to,” Cheryl teased, a playful smile plastered on her face.

“What’s a party without me, am I right?” he winked at Betty as she laughed at him. “You must be the missus” he smiled brightly at Veronica, “I’m Fangs.”

“Did Sweet Pea send you too?” Betty chuckled.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Fangs shrugged and turned his attention back to Veronica, “I heard through the grapevine that you were smokin’ and I wanted to see for myself.”

Veronica blushed as she shook her head at him.

“Speaking of smoke shows,” Fangs turned to Betty, “I ran into on your sister on the way over, she wants you to give her a call.”

“What is she doing back in town?” Cheryl squinted at Betty.

“Looking for trouble, I’d bet,” Betty groaned as she moved to get up from her seat, “I’ll be right back.”

Veronica watched her walk away quietly.

“Betty’s sister is a bit of a nut job,” Fangs offered, drawing her attention back to him. “Which seems to be a trait that runs in her family, it just skipped her somehow.”

“I take offense to that,” Cheryl snapped, her eyes narrowed pointedly at him.

“She seems really nice,” Veronica avoided his stare.

“Pea had to run to Greendale this morning,” Fangs changed the subject as he looked to Cheryl and then back at Veronica, “I thought that we could show you around, maybe introduce you to a few people.”

Veronica nodded in agreement, her eyes glued to Betty as she talked on the phone, an obvious anger radiating off of her as she paced angerly back and forth. 

“Look, I know that we’re not supposed to say anything,” Fangs leaned forward to catch Veronica’s attention, “he doesn’t love her, not in the way you think he does.”

Veronica blinked at him, an anxious feeling humming through her body.

“Is that what’s wrong?” Cheryl leaned over the chair and grabbed Veronica’s hand, “Honey, they are basically family.”

“He just,” Veronica blinked back the tears that were settling in her eyes as she tried to put together her thoughts.

“Cheryl, can I borrow your car,” Betty sighed heavily as she rejoined the group, “I need to go meet up with Polly before she causes a scene at the Wyrm.”

Cheryl nodded and looked to Fangs, “Did you bring your truck?” reaching for her keys as he nodded in confirmation, his attention returning to Veronica to make sure she was fine.

“I’m sorry I’m having to bail on your first day here,” Betty smiled apologetically, “want to plan on getting dinner tonight? I’d really like to get to know you.”

“Sounds nice,” Veronica half smiled, that feeling of regret returning as she cursed herself for feeling anything but kindness towards Betty.

Fangs waited until Betty had left the salon before looking back to Veronica, “want to finish that thought?”

“It’s stupid,” she shrugged him off, “so, you gonna get up here and get a pedicure too, or are you just gonna watch us have all the fun?” she joked, smiling to herself as Cheryl let out a giggle.

“I like girls with a little bit of spunk,” he raised he brows at her, standing up and pushing the chair out of the way, “what do you think? Red my color?” as he grabbed a bottle off the rack and returned to the chair next to Cheryl.

“You trying to start a fight, Fogarty? You know red is my color,” Cheryl took the bottle from his hands and nodded to the pink bottle that Betty had left. “If you’re taking Betty’s spot, then you get Betty’s color,” she smirked.

Fangs playfully rolled his eyes as he settled into the chair, “You joke, but I make pink look sexy.”

Veronica laughed for the first time since she crossed into Riverdale, the banter making her heart pull tightly in her chest. She missed her friends, and settling into this new life only made her miss them more.

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Sweet Pea pulled up to the dark bookstore on the edge of town, his hair standing on end as he looked around at the quiet street. It was unusually quiet, the normal buzzing of teenagers coming in and out of the Paramount replaced instead by old flyers blowing by in the wind. His eyes scanned his surroundings as he walked towards the front door, his hands forming into fists unconsciously as he readied himself for a fight.

The bell above the door signaled his arrival and broke through the silence as he looked around the empty store. Normally Hilda was working behind the register, but the coffee bar was quiet and the lights had been turned off.

“Psst,” he turned his head and felt some relief as he finally saw Sabrina poking out from behind the curtain that closed off the shop from the backroom.

“Where’d everyone go?” he whispered as he neared her, a sad smile pulling at her mouth as she motioned him to follow her.

Sweet Pea was relieved to hear the hushed whispers of people coming from the vent leading to the basement, however odd it felt to be relieved by that.

“We’ve got a big problem Pea,” Sabrina turned once she reached the back corner, her hand resting on the doorknob to what appeared to be a closet.

“No shit, why is it so quiet out there?” he asked as he followed her into the small room, a light switch glowing beside her head.

“Remember when I brought you here the first time,” she chuckled, “you thought I had asked you in here to make out?”

“It’s not as unreasonable as you make it sound,” he huffed as she pulled the switch to reveal a set of buttons, her fingers making quick work at the passcode before the room jolted and started to descend.

“You always were such a cute little puppy,” she reached forward and booped his nose with the tip of her pointer finger.

“Stop teasing me or I’ll leave and you can figure your way out of whatever mess you all got yourselves in this time,” he swatted her hand away, immediately regretting his tone when he saw her face fall. “Shit, Sabrina, I didn’t mean it.”

“It’s big, Pea,” she sighed, her normally playful eyes clouded with sadness.

They remained quiet until the room came to a stop, the doors opening to reveal her Aunt Hilda waiting nervously, ringing her hands in front of her.

“Oh, Sweet Pea,” she sighed, her eyes darting anxiously to him, “I can’t thank you enough for coming so quickly,” she rushed forward and wrapped him into a hug.

“You know I’ll always come if you need me Aunt H,” he pulled her tightly against his chest, her nerves subsiding somewhat.

“Thank you,” she sighed, breathing in his calming scent one more time before she pulled away.

“Honestly Hilda, you cling to these wolves like they’re a drug,” Zelda spoke with a bored tone behind them.

“Aunt Z,” Sweet Pea nodded in her direction, “Pleasure as always.”

“I’m sure,” she tiled her head down the hallway, “care to come help us out of this little predicament we’ve fallen into?”

Sweet Pea turned to look at Sabrina before following after Zelda, the sour smell of sickness getting stronger the further down the hallway he went.

“What the fuck is that smell?” he asked as they entered the room at the end, his eyes widening as he saw Cerberus laid out on the table, his eyes blown wide and yellow. His fingers flexed as his claws began to push out, only to slip back in. He trembled violently before turning to his side and vomiting into the bucket they had laid beside him.

“Jesus Christ, what did you do to him?” Sweet Pea began to panic, as he crossed the room and knelt next to him.

“We didn’t do anything,” Hilda sniffed from the corner, her eyes red from the tears she’d been crying.

“I think he’s poisoned, and it doesn’t matter what spells we’ve done, nothing is making him better,” Sabrina explained as she wrapped her arms around Hilda.

“Have you taken any of his blood?” Sweet Pea wrapped his hand around his arm and closed his eyes as he felt Cerberus’s pain seep into his system.

“On the counter under the microscope,” Zelda’s eyes pinched together as she tried desperately to remain composed.

Sweet Pea crossed to the counter, although he knew exactly what had poisoned him, he hoped he’d be wrong. He took a deep breath to steady himself before taking a look, cursing under his breath as he confirmed his fears.

“You know what it is, don’t you?” Hilda’s voice trembled quietly.

Sweet Pea looked back at Cerberus and sighed, rolling his sleeves as he moved back to him. “How long?”

“Sweet Pea tell us what it is,” Sabrina demanded.

“Look, my pack and your coven have had a truce for a long time, but there are still things that we can’t share with you,” he looked across the room at her, “I need to know when this started.”

“This morning,” Hilda offered, “can you stop it?”

Sweet Pea nodded, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his knife and lighter, clutching them in his hands. “I need you to leave, and no matter what you hear, you have to stay out, ok?” he asked, although he knew the command wasn’t lost on them.

“How long?” Zelda asked, mimicking his earlier question.

“Hard to say,” he turned back to Cerberus, his hand reaching out and resting on his forehead, “I’ll come get you when it’s done.”

Zelda nodded and reached for Sabrina, pulling her and Hilda out of the room.

“Please, fix him,” Hilda cried softly.

Sweet Pea nodded, as she shut the door behind her.

“What have you gotten yourself into old man?” Sweet Pea mumbled as he flicked his lighter and held it over the blade of his knife, the metal burning red after only a minute.

He closed his eyes and put the lighter down, slowly running the knife over his forearm as the cut began to open up and the thick blood poured out of his vein before running a mirrored cut on Cerberus’s arm. He linked their arms again, the cuts lining up as his blood poured into Cerberus’s arm.

Sweet Pea winced as he felt the poison seep into his system, a deep howl escaping his throat as he felt the shift beg to begin.

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Veronica winced as she felt a pain shoot through her arm, a sick feeling pulling at her stomach as she felt the world begin to spin.

“Whoa, you ok there, duchess?” Fangs asked as he shot his arms around Veronica to steady her.

“I don’t know,” she closed her eyes and curled her fingers around his forearms.

Fangs felt her pulse quicken, the panic pushing from her causing his heart to race. He caught sight of the bite on her neck flex and it all made sense.

“Just breath through it, it’ll be over in a minute,” he soothed her, his eyes flicking over her shoulder as Cheryl came rushing from the bathroom.

“Is she ok? I could smell the panic from in there,” she asked, her hand rubbing soothing circles on her back.

Veronica groaned in pain one last time before her grip loosened on Fangs’ arm, Sweet Pea’s name slipping quietly from her lips.

“That’s it, don’t hold your breath, just keep breathing for me,” Fangs mouthed for Cheryl to go grab some water for her before he turned his eyes back to her, “he’s ok.”

“What happened?” Veronica looked at him, the confusion swimming through her eyes.

“You and Pea are linked,” he reached for the glass as Cheryl came back and handed it to Veronica, “will you take a drink for me please?”

Veronica took the glass into her hand, shaking slightly as she held it to her lips and took a long drink.

“It’s gonna come and go for bit until you mark him on the full moon,” Fangs explained calmly.

“So, what I felt is what he felt,” Veronica’s eyes began to dart nervously between Fangs and Cheryl, “oh my God, we have to go find him, he could be hurt,” she started to stand before falling backwards, her strength drained from the attack.

“He’s fine honey,” Cheryl pulled Veronica into her side as she stroked her hair, “we’d know if he was in real trouble.”

“Can you take me home?” Veronica cried, her chin trembling as she fought against the tears.

“Of course,” Fangs smiled softly, as he reached forward and pulled Veronica up into his arms.

Veronica wanted to fight him, beg for him to let her walk, but the feeling of exhaustion that over took her won as she laid her head on his shoulder.

She could make out the sound over Cheryl talking in the background, but couldn’t pick out the words she was saying.

“No, we can’t call him,” Fangs answered softly as Veronica felt the sun warm across her skin. She tried desperately to remain awake, but her eyelids were so heavy and all she wanted to do was sleep.

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“What happened Cerberus?” Sweet Pea asked as he wiped the blood away from his arm.

“I’m not sure,” he replied weakly, “I came into the store this morning like usual, but something smelled wrong,” he sighed as he closed his eyes, “I thought it was just the new coffee that Hilda had ordered.”

“Sweet and a little muddy,” Sweet Pea asked for confirmation.

Cerberus nodded his head. “I made myself a cup of tea while Hilda came in, and that’s the last thing I remember,” his eyes widened as he looked up at Sweet Pea, “oh lord, I didn’t hurt her, did I?”

“She’s fine,” Sweet Pea stood and walked over to the sink turning it on and sticking his arm under the running water, “do you have any idea who would do this?”

“I don’t even know anyone who knows I’m here,” he shook his head.

“There was no one here when I came into town,” he turned from the sink and reached for a towel to dry himself off.

“A witches circle,” Cerberus sighed, “when a threat emerges, they band together and chant incantations of protection for their coven.”

“Explains the whispers I heard,” Sweet Pea licked his lips, “I’ll go get Hilda, I’m sure she’s climbing the walls by now.”

“Thank you Sweet Pea,” Cerberus sat slowly, swinging his legs over the side of the table, “I know that it’s a long way to come especially,” he paused and looked to the watch on his wrist, “Oh, I’m so sorry, you are in the middle of your mating.”

“She’ll understand,” Sweet Pea felt the pang in his chest at the thought of Veronica sitting alone in their house.

Hilda was pacing furiously outside the door when Sweet Pea opened it, a look of relief on her face as she wrapped her arms around him and muttered a quick thank you before pushing past him to check on Cerberus.

Sabrina smiled at him from her spot on the floor, her knees pulled tight to her chest and a tired look on her face. Sweet Pea sunk to the floor beside her and tossed his arm around her legs as she rested her head on his shoulder.

“I don’t know how we are ever going to repay you,” she spoke quietly.

“Family takes care of family,” he felt the exhaustion pull at his eyes.

“Do you know who did this?” she nudged him awake before he was lost.

“I’ll have my pack sniff it out,” he blinked a few times to shake the fog of sleep away.

“You wolves,” Sabrina laughed lightly, “always sniffing something.”

“It comes in handy in times like these,” he yawned.

“What’s with you, it’s like you’re under some sort of sleep spell,” she yawned in response.

“I think Veronica’s sleeping,” he shrugged.

“I forgot that was yesterday,” she sat up and looked at him excitedly, “tell me all about her.”

“She’s beautiful and not stuck up like I thought she’d be,” he pushed up to his feet, standing as he stretched out the soreness in his muscles before helping Sabrina stand up.

“You’ll have to bring her next time, I’m very interested to see you with someone other than Betty,” he winced at the mention of her and Betty in the same sentence.

“I have to get heading back,” he sidestepped her conversation as they walked down the hall, “it’s going to be late by the time I make it home.”

“Thanks again,” she smiled softly as they reached the elevator, “we owe you big time.”

He hugged her before stepping through the open door, resting against the wall as the room jolted to a start. He’d dealt with a lot since becoming alpha, far more than he had been trained for, but this threat terrified him to his core. If he hadn’t gotten here in time, he shuddered, not wanting to think of the complete carnage that could have happened if Cerberus would have fully transformed.

He stopped by the coffee stand in the corner on his way out, the smell of the poison so strong he wondered how he missed it the first time. He quickly grabbed a bag from the register and pushed his hand inside of it before grabbing the single cup sitting on the counter, careful not to let it touch his skin. He tied the bag shut and then put it in another bag, better not to take any chances, he thought.

His mind reeled on the way back to Riverdale as he ticked through the usual suspects in his mind. It would be hard for any of the neighboring packs to be behind this, most wolves knew to stay as far away from this stuff as possible. It was highly fragile and even more dangerous, put into the hands of someone who didn’t know what they were doing and an outbreak among their pack would be almost certain.

He didn’t know much about rival covens, and while the idea did hold some merit, this stuff was just as dangerous for them and frankly lacked the flair the witches tended to come up with to torture their enemies. A quick flash through his mind reminded him of the time that Zelda had cursed a rogue witch into insanity, the once powerful High Priestess turned blubbering mess as she was taken away from the territory by her frightened coven. And witches and wolves had established a treaty of sorts, the two communities living in relative peace for most of his life. He was sure they weren’t a part of this.

He felt lost as he drove the empty road back home. He’d always been sure of himself, of the decisions he was making for his pack, but in just 24 hours everything had changed so much he wasn’t sure where to start to piece his foundation back together. He couldn’t help but let his mind wander to Veronica and the sadness he felt on her as she ran out of the house that morning. While lying to Fangs was somewhat easy, he couldn’t lie to himself and say he wasn’t hurt that she seemed so upset at the prospect of being with him. Maybe it was a bad idea to follow through on the pact his father had made, maybe he should give her a choice in the matter. He’d already marked her, and he was sure he could live his life without the prospect of another mate, but was it really fair to her to damn her to a life of isolation.

Sweet Pea sighed as he saw the lights from his house come into view. He practiced the speech he’d give to her a dozen times, but each time he got to the part about telling her she was free to go, he felt a knot in his stomach that made him feel sick. He tried to tell himself that it was the cup in his trunk beginning to mess with him, but again, he wasn’t good at lying to himself. He had felt the connection with her the night before, a connection so much stronger than he’d been ready for, and the prospect of her not returning those feelings made him nauseous.

He’d been hoping for a few moments of silence when he pulled into the drive, but was sadly disappointed to see Fangs and Cheryl sitting on his front steps.

“Where have you been?” Cheryl hurried to the car and opened the door before he could even turn off the engine.

“Greendale,” he sighed, allowing her to bury her face in his chest as she hugged him tight.

“You ok?” Fangs asked from his spot on the stairs, an obvious annoyance radiating off of him.

“I will be,” Sweet Pea put his arm around Cheryl’s shoulders as he walked them to the stairs, unwinding himself from her as she leaned against the opposite railing.

“We know you were hurt,” Cheryl admitted calmly, “Veronica really took a beating emotionally while we were at the bar.”

Sweet Pea’s eyes flashed to the front door, his heartbeat racing as the thought of hurting her.

“She’s fine now,” Fangs pulled his attention back to him, “I think you have a much bigger issue to deal with.”

He watched them silently, waiting for someone to tell him what was going on, when he suddenly realized that Betty wasn’t with them.

“I’m just going to rip the Band-Aid off,” Cheryl took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, “She overheard you on the phone with Betty this morning and thinks that you don’t feel anything for her because you are in love with Betty.”

“How,” he shook his head, trying to replay the conversation with Betty but not understanding how she came to that conclusion.

“It doesn’t matter what she heard,” Fangs reasoned, “but you have to tell her that you aren’t in love with Betty, and you need to do it quick.”

“Is that why she isn’t here?” Sweet Pea’s face fell, in one day he had hurt the two most important women in his life because he was scared to talk to Veronica the night before.

Cheryl eyed Fangs carefully before shaking her head, “No, she doesn’t know any of this,” she swallowed and licked her lips, “Polly’s back, so Betty had to leave early to go deal with her.”

Sweet Pea growled low as he reached for the keys in his pocket and turned to his car.

“Stop!” Fangs barked, jumping down from the stairs and standing between Sweet Pea and his car.

“Get out of my way Fogarty,” Sweet Pea snarled, “she knows she’s not welcome here.”

“Betty got her to leave,” Fangs pushed Sweet Pea back, “you can’t go running after Betty if you have any hope of fixing this mess you’ve made with Veronica.”

Sweet Pea turned his head to Cheryl as he focused on calming his heart rate down, “Go be with her tonight, she can’t be alone.”

Cheryl nodded quickly and looked to Fangs as he stayed in front of Sweet Pea.

“Where is she?” Sweet Pea asked calmly, his hands sliding into his pockets.

“I put her in your room,” he stepped back and nodded for Cheryl to follow, “it’s where she belongs.”

Sweet Pea stood in his driveway and watched Fangs’ truck as it disappeared at the end of the road. His instincts told him to get in his car and follow them, to check on Betty and make sure she was ok. But he knew Fangs was right, he needed to be with Veronica tonight, especially if she was doubting anything that happened the night before.

He looked at the trunk of his car as he breathed in deeply; tomorrow, they will deal with this mess tomorrow.

His house was quiet as he opened the front door, the immediate smell of apples and lavender drowning his senses. Fangs and Cheryl must have cleaned he thought, as the normal honey scent was nowhere to be found.

He quietly climbed the stairs, nervous to really see Veronica for the first time that day. He passed Betty’s room and eyed it carefully, the bags that Fangs had dropped off yesterday were nowhere to be found. They must have unpacked for her. He felt a sense of pride roll through him at how caring his pack was being for Veronica, a perfect stranger to all of them, but they welcomed her in with open arms. He had no doubt in his mind that Fangs had stepped into the guardian roll for Veronica and there was no one he trusted more with her safety than Fangs.

He slowly opened the door to his room and watched her as she slept peacefully in his bed. She was wrapped in one of his shirts, a move no doubt instigated by Cheryl as a way to calm her. He wanted to shower, to rid himself of the horrible day, but his desire to care and nurture her pulled strongly at him. There was no fighting it, he had marked her and he would never be able to let her go now, not with how strongly he was beginning to feel.

He quietly toed his shoes off and pulled his shirt over his head before unfastening his belt and pushing his pants to the ground. Would this be ok? He hated sleeping in more than his boxers, but he didn’t want her to wake in the morning and feel overwhelmed. He silently opened his drawers and pulled out a pair of sweatpants, slipping into them as he walked to his bed. She stirred slightly as he slipped under the covers next to her, and he paused in fear that he’d waken her, but she rolled to her side and breathed deeply as if she could feel him beside her and wanted to drown herself in his scent.

Sweet Pea looked over her features carefully; the soft curve of her brow, the single freckle under her eye, the fullness of her bottom lip, and the square of her jaw. He smiled at the deep green painted on her fingers, he wondered if Cheryl told her to pick his favorite color. She was perfection, and he hated himself for doing anything to cause her to doubt herself.

He felt weight of the day pull on him, the calming comfort he found just being in her presence lulling him softly to sleep as he gently wrapped his arm around her and pulled her flush against his chest. Fangs was right, this was where she belonged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you like it?


	3. Two souls are sometimes created together and and in love before they are even born - F. Scott Fitzgerald

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’re not thinking clear right now,” he grabbed her hips to hold her still, keeping her from rubbing against him.
> 
> “All I’ve been doing is thinking,” she pushed his hands away and pulled herself against him, “thinking about you, about us, about how you are going to feel.”
> 
> “You are going to feel better than anything I’ve ever experienced,” he grabbed her head and forced her to look at him, “and when we finally do this, it’s going to be amazing. But I will not let our first time be in this dingy office in the back of a bar.”
> 
> “You want it to be special,” she smiled at him, the cloud of lust starting to dissipate as he rubbed soothing circles on her back.
> 
> “You deserve for it to be special,” he kissed the tip of her nose gently.
> 
> “I love that you’re such a softy,” she leaned forward and laid her head on his shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay :)
> 
> I've posted the update for my other story as well ("This Is The First Day of My Life") if you're following that story, head on over and check that one out too. 
> 
> As always, please leave me a note and let me know what you think. Archie and Jug and introduced in this chapter and will start to play out in the rest of the story moving forward. I have small parts for Toni as well, although I can try and work her in more if you guys are interested, just let me know.

Veronica pushed up to her toes as she opened the cabinet next to the stove, continuing her search for the spices and frowning to herself when she only found salt and pepper. She’d definitely have to go to the store today if she wanted to cook for them. She grinned to herself as she caught the scent from his shirt she woke up in that morning, butterflies filling her stomach as she thought back to waking up in his bed with his arms wrapped tightly around her.

It was a bit confusing at first, but as she laid there with the feeling of his heart beating steadily behind her, she let herself sink into him. He snored. Not terribly, more like a steady hum that vibrated across her skin because he fit around her perfectly, his body covering her securely. His hands were strong as he held onto her and she loved that feeling of being protected.

She shook her head and moved to the refrigerator, pulling out some eggs and bacon figuring she could at least make them a basic breakfast. She searched for a pan and chuckled to herself, assuming that his kitchen would have been more organized than it was. Betty struck her as the type of girl that was organized to a fault, but the state of this kitchen could only be described as random chaos. Who kept their pans so well hidden?

“Cabinet on the right,” she jumped at his voice, her cheeks shading pink as she turned towards him.

“I hope you don’t mind, I just thought it would be nice to have food ready for you when you woke up,” she tucked her hair behind her ear nervously.

“This is your home too, Veronica,” he pushed off the door frame and came into the room, stepping beside her as he reached above her and pulled out a mixing bowl, “you can do whatever you’d like here.”

She smiled softly as she took the bowl from him, her eyes dropping to the counter as she moved around him to grab the eggs.

“I think I owe you a huge apology for yesterday,” he grabbed the coffee from beside the stove and measured it into the pot, “I wasn’t thinking about the connection when I was in Greendale; I should have called to check on you.”

“What happened?” her eyes wandered to his arm to check for a wound, but other than being a little red, it appeared to be perfectly fine.

“One of the coven members in Greendale is engaged to a former wolf from our pack and he was in trouble,” Sweet Pea tiptoed around the issue.

“Wait!” she yelled, his hands flying away from the coffee pot quickly in shock, “What are you doing?”

“Beside recovering from that heart attack you just gave me?” he stepped back from the counter as Veronica opened the coffee machine and watched in horror as she sprinkled in some salt, “oh good, you’re insane,” he mocked.

“I’m insane?” Veronica raised her brow at him, “You’re the one who has obviously been drinking subpar coffee his whole life. Trust me on this.”

Sweet Pea watched in amusement as she muttered “unsalted coffee grounds _”_ under her breath while returning to the eggs she’d been working on.

“Were you hurt?” she asked trying to refocus the conversation.

Sweet Pea’s brows pulled together in confusion.

“In Greendale?” she clarified, pointing to his arm.

He faintly smiled at her as he shook his head, “It’s a part of the gig,” he tried to joke, “it’s my responsibility to protect our pack at all costs, and sometimes that’s going to come with a little pain.”

“I was worried about you,” Veronica let out a shuttering breath.

“You don’t need to worry about me,” he smiled comfortingly.

Veronica went back to cracking the eggs, her back turned away from him as she focused on her task, but she could feel him filling up the room.

“I think we need to talk about yesterday,” he broke the silence, setting down a cup of coffee next to her.

Veronica grabbed some milk from the fridge and poured it carefully into her cup. _Here it goes_ , she thought, t _his is the part that he tells me he can never have feelings for me because he’s in love with Betty._

“Stop that,” he narrowed his eyes at her. Standing in front of her suddenly, he tried to tip her head up to meet her eyes, but she pulled out of his grip. He sighed and grabbed her by her waist, ignoring the yelp in surprise she made as he picked her up and set her down on the counter.

Veronica pouted angerly as she tried to get down, but he caged her in with his hands resting on the counter on either side of her, “I’m not some doll you can just toss around,” she bit in annoyance.

“Well, you won’t ever look at me, and I’m getting tired of squatting down to try and meet your eyes,” he countered, his eyebrows lifting at her when she finally looked at him.

“Go ahead and say it then,” she blinked away the tears that were forming in her eyes.

“Say what?” he needed to hear her say what was wrong.

“That you want me to go so that she can move back in here,” she closed her eyes, embarrassed to admit how sad it made her.

“Look at me,” his voice was soft, but she fought the urge to cave into him until she felt the mark on her neck begin to pulse.

She opened her eyes and looked at him, a tear falling down her cheek as she waited for him to speak. “I’m sorry that I made you feel like I want you to leave,” she sucked in her breath as he leaned forward and placed his lips against the mark tenderly.

“I’m sorry I’m not her,” she felt the admission leave her lips before she could even stop it.

“I’m not,” he inhaled her scent before leaning back so he could look at her, his hand coming up to cup her cheek while his thumb wiped at the tears. “I don’t love her, not like that.”

Veronica’s chin trembled, wanting desperately to believe what he was saying, but the voice in her head told her that she would never be enough for him.

He pushed her thighs apart so he could step between them, his arms circling around her as he pulled her close to him.

“I like you Veronica,” he breathed into her neck, “so much more than I thought I could.”

“I’m afraid I’ll never be enough,” her father’s words echoed deep in her head. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck as he tried to pull away from her, afraid of letting him see the vulnerability in her eyes at that admission.

“You couldn’t be more perfect if you tried,” he sighed heavily and she felt her heart skip, “Even if you do put salt in your coffee like a crazy person,” he teased.

“You haven’t even tried it,” she laughed, pushing him away.

“There are a lot of things I haven’t tried,” he looked at the coffee cup sitting next to her on the counter, “You swear it doesn’t taste salty?”

“You saw how much I put in,” she lifted the cup and held it up in front of him, “I promise, this is going to change your life.”

Sweet Pea stiffened and his head shot up, his eyes narrowing towards the front door.

“What’s the matter?” Veronica asked, turning towards the front door too.

“Someone’s coming,” he answered, his hands gripping onto her hips as he turned his attention back to her, “Stay here,” he ordered as he moved away from her and slowly moved into the living room.

Veronica knew she should listen to him, but she felt the intense need to protect him. She quietly slid off the counter and tiptoed behind him, trying not to make a sound as he reached the door and opened it.

“Archie!” she smiled brightly when she saw his red hair peeking over Sweet Pea’s shoulder. She pushed past Sweet Pea and wrapped her arms around him as he lifted her off the ground and spun her happily in greeting.

“What? No love for me?” her head snapped up as she saw Jughead standing at the bottom of the stairs, a large smile pulling at her mouth as she jumped off the porch and into his waiting arms.

Veronica could feel the anger in the air, turning her head towards the house to see Sweet Pea standing in the doorway.

“Put me down,” she breathed, as she pushed away from Jughead, his eyebrows pulled together in question.

“Sweet Pea,” she nodded for them to follow her up the stairs, “guys, this is Sweet Pea,” she smiled warmly before turning to him, “this is Jughead and Archie, my best friends from back home,” she let her hand come to rest on his arm to calm him down.

“Welcome,” his tone had changed from the soft voice she’d been hearing all morning to the deep commanding alpha voice she’d heard in the forest.

“What are you guys doing here?” she tucked herself under his arm and felt his pulse begin to calm down.

“Are you kidding?” Archie smiled at her, “We couldn’t let you be here alone, not after our call yesterday.”

“Your call?” Sweet Pea looked down at her, concern filling his eyes.

“He called in the middle of my run yesterday morning,” she smiled softly before turning her attention back to Archie and Jughead. “How long are you guys planning on staying?”

Archie and Jughead looked between each other, “uh, we’re kind of just playing it by ear,” Jughead rubbed the back of his neck.

“We were just about to make breakfast, but maybe it’s a better idea if we all go somewhere instead?” Veronica felt nervous as she looked between the three men, afraid that Sweet Pea would get the wrong idea.

“We can go to the diner if you’d like,” Sweet Pea nodded, his blank eyes concerning her, “why don’t you guys come in and wait while we get ready.”

Sweet Pea stepped back from the door and held it open while he waited for them to come into the house.

“Make yourself comfortable,” he motioned to the living room before heading to the stairs.

Veronica followed behind him, the nervous energy buzzing between them making her feel uneasy.

“Do you need to shower?” he asked, his eyes scanning the room.

“Hey,” she put her hand on his arm and turned him around so he was facing her, “I can ask them to leave if it makes you upset.”

“I’m not upset,” he turned again, his eyes avoiding looking at her.

Veronica sighed as she moved to step between him and the dresser, her hands pressed on his shoulders as she looked at him expectantly. Sweet Pea furrowed his brow at her until she smiled softly at him, “Well, are you gonna pick me up and put me on the dresser or do I need to hop up there myself?”

Sweet Pea chuckled and grabbed her waist, placing her on the dresser effortlessly. She grabbed his face and held it in place in front of her.

“I promise to try and get over my jealousy of Betty if you promise to not be jealous of them,” she offered softly.

“I’m not in love with her,” he said again, his hands coming up rest on her wrists.

“And I’m not in love with them,” she swallowed as she let her hands fall to rest on his shoulders, “I know that we’ve gotten off to a rocky start, but I like you more than I thought I would too,” she smiled softly as he looked at her.

She felt her pulse quicken the same way it had in the forest that first night as he leaned forward and gently kissed her. She wished they could stay here, secluded in this room that smelled so strongly of him, but she knew the timing wasn’t right. They needed to get to know each other, to spend time with their friends and ease into this. They may have bonded, but they were still strangers.

“How about we call Betty, Cheryl, and Fangs; have them meet us for breakfast too,” she whispered gently as they pulled away.

“We can just call Fangs and Cheryl if you want,” the guilt filling his eyes made her heart ache.

“I want Betty to be there too,” she gently stroked his cheek.

He helped her down from the dresser and pulled the drawer open to pull out clothes for the day. He pulled his pants off and stepped into his jeans, freezing as he realized what he’d just done.

Veronica bit her lip as she watched his back tense, her eyes sweeping over his body as she felt the blush rise in her cheeks. She turned quickly and opened the closet door, trying to hide her embarrassment as she pulled out a skirt and stepped into it, sliding it over her waist as she realized for the first time that morning that she’d been so exposed to him all night. She tried to pull at the shirt she was wearing to make sure she had something underneath it, sighing with relief when she saw the strap of her tank top.

She unbuttoned his shirt and let it fall from her shoulders as she grabbed a short-sleeved sweater and pulled it over her head. She turned as she pulled her hair out from her shirt and was shocked to see him staring back at her.

“You look nice,” he cleared his throat and shoved his hands in his pockets.

“I guess we were both checking each other out when we got changed then?” she teased, her face burning.

“You’re hot,” he shrugged, his confidence returning.

“I’m sorry that we have to go out this morning,” she swallowed, “it was kind of nice having you to myself for a little bit.”

“I’m not sure if I’ve ever slept as good as I did last night,” he grinned back at her.

Veronica chuckled as they came down the stairs and could hear Jughead and Archie bicker back and forth.

“Honestly you two,” she shook her head as she came into the living room, “I’ve only been gone for two days and already you’re falling apart.”

“You were the glue holding us together, Ronnie” Archie stood and hoped over the couch, “We were barely surviving without you.”

“He came over yesterday with the number 5 from Gino’s” Jughead looked at her expectantly.

“Oh Archie, that’s not nearly enough food for Jug,” Veronica sighed at him.

“He is an endless pit,” Archie crossed his arms over his chest defensively, “there’s not enough food in the world for him.”

“Not all of us can survive on a single chicken breast, beefcake,” Jughead teased as he stood from the couch.

Archie scoffed at Jughead before looking at back at Veronica, “He’s just meaner without you.”

“Alright, everyone is going to meet us down at the diner,” Sweet Pea walked into the room and looked around between the three friends.

“As long as there are egg whites and spinach, I’m sure Captain America here will be happy,” Jughead smiled as Veronica laughed at him.

“Ronnie!” Veronica bit back her giggle as Archie huffed at her.

“Enough you two,” she pushed Archie towards the door, “You’re making a bad first impression.”

“But we’re so charming,” Jughead joked dryly as he followed her out.

“Whoa,” Archie stopped in his tracks as he got closer to Sweet Pea’s car, “I don’t think we should ride with you,” he put his arm out to stop Veronica from getting any closer.

“Shit, I forgot that was in there, I’m sorry,” Sweet Pea moved around the car and opened the trunk, blinking rapidly as he pulled the bag out and jogged back to the house, stopping at the bin on the side and dumping it in.

“Why do you have monkshood in your trunk?” Veronica asked quickly, “Does this have to do with yesterday?”

Sweet Pea nodded, “I’ll tell you about it later,” he tried to reason.

“I still think it’s better that we take mine,” Archie scrunched up his face and looked to Veronica, “I don’t like the idea of you being in that car.”

“I wouldn’t put her in any danger,” Sweet Pea growled protectively.

“Pea,” Veronica reached her hand out and slipped it gently into his, “He didn’t mean it that way.”

“Sorry man,” Archie backed away with his hands up, “Old habits, I guess. I didn’t mean you can’t protect her.”

“As fun as this is, let’s just take Archie’s car,” Jughead spoke from his spot next to Archie’s passenger door.

Veronica looked up at Sweet Pea, waiting for him to be ok with it. He sighed before looking at Archie and nodding his head. She smiled and led him towards his car, her hand finding his again as he got in the backseat with her.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Sweet Pea laughed at Fangs as he stumbled over himself when Archie hoped out of the car, dipping his head down so his lips were even with Veronica’s ear, “Looks like Fangs is in love,” he smiled as she giggled beside him.

“I don’t think he’s the only one,” she motioned to Jughead who had stopped to watch Betty walk across the parking lot.

He watched happily as Veronica met Cheryl, Fangs, and Betty and hugged them hello before introducing them to Archie and Jughead. The scene before him was so normal it was almost jarring.

Betty hung back as everyone else filed into the diner, her brows pinched together in concern.

“I heard Polly was back in town,” Sweet Pea sighed as the door shut, leaving the two of them outside.

“I know that she was up to something, but she was playing it off like she was just after some money,” Betty frowned.

“How much did you give her?” he felt his shoulders tense; Betty was too kind to tell her sister to pound sand.

“Enough to keep her away for while I hope,” Betty bit her lip anxiously, “What about you? Want to tell me what happened in Greendale?”

“How’d you hear about that?” he scratched his neck as he tried to avoid her eyes.

“You honestly think Cheryl can keep her mouth shut for that long?” Betty teased her eyes full of sympathy.

“Everything went fine, but I’m going to call a council meeting tomorrow,” Sweet Pea shook his head, “It’s big Coop.”

“You remember when everything used to be simple?” she chuckled lightly, “How’s it going with Veronica?”

“Better now that we’ve talked a bit,” he swallowed before biting back a grin, “I’m such a dunce that I didn’t even think about cleaning up after you left, luckily Cheryl and Fangs helped bail me out.”

“What would we do without them?” she sighed, “I hope that I’m not causing any problems for you.”

“You’re not,” he wrapped his arm around her and let her sink into his side, “You’re always going to be my best friend.”

“I really think that her and I will be good friends too,” Betty grinned up at him, “I can just feel it, you know?”

“Always the optimist,” he reached for the door and held it open for her as they walked into the diner.

He spotted the group around one of the large tables in the back, an open seat between Veronica and Cheryl and one between Jughead and Fangs. He wondered if Veronica planned that, her eyes dancing playfully as she greeted Betty. 

“Playing matchmaker?” he whispered as he sat next to her.

“I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about,” she grinned at him.

He couldn’t help but watch her during breakfast, the genuine laughter she shared with Archie and Jughead radiated from her beautifully. They shared stories of growing up, the three of them the youngest in their pack in New York they often found themselves in trouble.

“But do you remember that time that you tried to sneak into my room after prom?” Veronica laughed at Archie.

“In my defense,” Archie spoke up, his hand reaching across the table and grabbing hers, “I was beyond wasted and didn’t count the windows correctly.”

“He ended up crawling through the window of my ’s father’s study,” Veronica offered in explanation to the table, “and let’s just say, I’ve never seen Archie run so fast.”

“Try having to explain to my dad the reason there was a stuffed version of Archie in the sleeping bag on my floor,” Jughead huffed, “I swear I can still hear him yelling at me about learning to be more responsible.”

“Oh, FP is a puppy,” Veronica smiled as she sat back in her chair.

“You’ve had my dad eating out of the palm of your hand our entire life,” Jughead rolled his eyes, “I swear the only reason he likes me is because we’re friends.”

“That’s horrible,” Betty placed her hand on Jughead’s shoulder comfortingly.

Jughead turned his head to look at Betty, a small smile of appreciation tugging at the corner of his mouth. Veronica reached under the table and squeezed Sweet Pea’s hand, her eyes flicking quickly to Jughead and Betty as she smiled at him. It was like they had a little secret that no one knew, and it settled excitedly deep within Sweet Pea’s stomach. He felt her start to move her hand back and he panicked, not wanting to lose her touch, he laced their fingers together quickly before turning to Fangs and Cheryl to continue their conversation.

He had felt the connection come and go over the last few days with her, but as they sat there at that table laughing with their friends, her hand in his, he felt her stronger than ever. He counted the days in his head until the full moon.

Eleven.

In eleven days she would mark him in that same forest and the bond would be complete. Once they completed their second run together, she would feel his emotions the same way he felt hers and they would be one.

The fact that they hadn’t mated yet weighed heavily on his mind. Typically, a bonded pair would have mated the first night after their run, but there was too much left for them to know about each other. He’d spoken with the elders over the years about how this process would go, a little embarrassed to ask his father about this part of the process, and they’d explained how the bite would increase their attraction to each other. If they didn’t mate soon, they would pull closer and closer to the edge, their desire compounding on itself until it became almost painful to not be with each other. He didn’t want that for Veronica. He wanted her to want to mate with him naturally, not because the bite was controlling her.

He had to laugh at how quickly this was moving for him. Hell, it was only two days ago that he was hanging out with Betty and complaining about having to do this. But now, he couldn’t believe how lucky he was that she ended up being the person that he had been matched with.

“Where did we lose you to, boss?” Fangs teased, snapping Sweet Pea out of his daze.

“Stuff it, Fogarty,” Sweet Pea eyed Veronica out of the corner of his eye to make sure she didn’t hear him.

“I think it’s sweet,” Cheryl grinned, “it’s nice to see you with someone.”

“I need to call a council meeting for tomorrow,” he quickly changed the subject.

“Is this about Greendale?” Fangs asked as he shoved some bacon in his mouth.

Sweet Pea nodded, “Cerberus was poisoned,” he lowered his voice and leaned closer to them, “I was able to fix it, but if Sabrina hadn’t called when she did, it could have been really bad.”

“Damn,” Fangs sighed.

“Do you think it was someone coming after the coven?” Cheryl asked worriedly.

“I don’t know,” he pulled his straw out of his drink and chewed on it, “I can’t imagine anyone would be stupid enough to mess with that stuff, besides the witches have easier ways to mess with each other thank to risk it.”

“Witches?” Veronica leaned into the conversation, “You mentioned the coven this morning, but I don’t know if I’ve ever actually interacted with a witch before.”

“You mean besides my mother,” Jughead deadpanned.

“Your mom’s a witch?” Betty asked, her brows pulling together.

“Only figuratively,” Archie chimed in from the end of the table.

“Maybe spending time with me is rubbing off on you,” Jughead smiled as Archie punched him in the arm.

“I’m planning on going back out tomorrow to check on Cerberus,” Sweet Pea turned to Veronica, “you can come with me if you want, I know that Sabrina is dying to meet you.”

“Oh, can I come?” Cheryl perked up, “I haven’t seen Toni in so long.”

“Who’s Toni?” Veronica smiled at Cheryl.

“A super-hot witch that Cher’s been in love with for ages,” Fangs teased as Cheryl flipped him off.

Veronica chuckled before looking back to Sweet Pea, “I’d love to come with you.”

Sweet Pea felt a rush of energy flow through him in that moment as Veronica looked up at him with her beautiful brown eyes. The gold flecks he’d seen in the forest were sparkling under the florescent lights of the diner and her scent was overpowering the smell of greasy potatoes and eggs. He couldn’t tell if it was just his feelings for her, or if it was the connection and he was feeling her energy. He hoped it wasn’t just the bite, but the insecure part of him said that couldn’t be the case.

“Well that takes care of tomorrow’s plans, but what are we going to do tonight?” Cheryl asked, her eyes sparkling at Betty playfully.

“Uh-oh,” Betty grinned back, “I know that look.”

“Should we be nervous?” Archie whispered to Jughead.

“Depends, how are you guys at dancing and pool?” Betty cocked her brow challengingly.

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Veronica pulled at the hem of her skirt as she stared at herself in the mirror. In New York she would have been confident in her outfit choice, her ruffled bow skirt with the perfectly placed slit and high heels always made her feel confident and sexy, but she wasn’t sure what Sweet Pea would like. Too much? She thought as she adjusted the dip of her top. She forcibly pushed the voice in her head asking what Betty would be wearing to the back of her mind. He said he didn’t love her, and she needed to trust that. But still, next to Betty she was going to look overdone, she just knew it.

She sighed and opened the closet door again as she began sifting through her clothes. Too slutty, too casual, too short, too confining; she wanted to scream at how difficult this was. She turned to the bed and grabbed her phone starting to text Archie to come and help her pick out an outfit when the door opened and Sweet Pea slipped into the room his head turned over his shoulder as he hollered down the hallway.

“I only need about two minutes to change and then,” his voice trailed off as he turned and looked at Veronica, a noticeable pause as he blinked at her.

“I know, it’s too much, isn’t it?” she sighed and moved back to the closet, “I just can’t figure out what to wear and I just feel like all of my clothes,” Sweet Pea grabbed her arm and turned her around, his lips crashing into hers as he cradled her head in his hands.

“You look perfect,” he breathed, “I’m sorry, I know we’re not really there, but I just couldn’t help myself,” he pulled away as he took a few steps back, his eyes scanning over her legs.

Veronica blushed deeply as she grinned at him, “Don’t apologize, I like it when you take charge like that,” she felt a buzz under her skin.

Sweet Pea smiled as he stepped to her again, his hands coming back to her face as he kissed her before wrapping an arm around her waist and lifting her up on the dresser. He pushed her legs apart and stood between them, his hands running up her thighs as he kissed down her neck and nipped teasingly at her mark.

“I can’t wait for you to do this to me,” he growled, “I want you to feel what I feel every time I look at you.”

“I’m nervous to mark you,” she tilted her head, giving him access to her neck.

“Why are you nervous?” he asked as he pulled away from her neck, his face close to hers as he moved his hands up her thighs and around her waist.

“It’s only been a few days and I already feel so much for you,” she hated how he could get her to say what was on her mind just by looking at her, “it’s only going to get more intense after we mate.”

“I’m excited for that part,” he grinned bashfully, “When my father told me he had arrange my mate for me, that I wasn’t going to have any choice in the matter, I hated it.”

“Me too,” she chuckled.

“I had visons that you were going to be some stuck up, Park Avenue Princess, that wouldn’t fit in with my pack,” he raised his brows at her to see what she thought.

“I thought you were going to be some country boy who expected me to cook and clean for you,” she admitted.

“If you want to cook for me, I won’t object,” he teased, dodging her as she swatted at him. “You are my forever, and the more time I spend with you the more I love that idea.”

“You’re a romantic,” she leaned forward and pecked his lips.

“Don’t tell anyone,” he lightly kissed the tip of her nose. Sweet Pea straightened himself and shook his head, narrowing his eyes as he looked her over, “You’re right, maybe this skirt is a bad idea; I don’t think I’ll be able to keep my hands off of you tonight.”

“That’s kind of the point,” she slid off the dresser and moved around him, her hand trailing along his stomach.

“You’re dangerous, Veronica Lodge,” he smirked as he watched her move to the door.

“Don’t take too long,” she looked over her shoulder at him with a parting grin as she left the room and headed down the hallway.

She wasn’t sure what came over her, the confident air she had from back home finally peeking through. She just knew that she had butterflies every time he came into the room, and the way he smelled drove her crazy. There was something about how gentle and sweet he was with her, a side that he didn’t seem to show to everyone else. It was just something special that he shared with her, his mate. The idea still sent chills up her spin when she thought of it. She belonged to someone, no matter how antiquated it sounded, and she liked the way it felt.

She rolled her eyes at Archie as he whistled at her as she came down the stairs.

“Breaking out the old leather skirt?” he chuckled, “Good to know things haven’t changed that much.”

“It’s been three days, Arch,” Jughead rolled his eyes, “although, you are starting to smell like him.”

“What?” Veronica scoffed as she lifted her hand to her nose, a small smile pulling at her mouth as she caught the traces of him on her skin.

“Look at you going all soft on us,” Archie teased as wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him.

“I’m so glad you guys are here,” Veronica laughed as she reached her hand out for Jughead to join them. He rolled his eyes and stepped closer, smiling to himself when they pulled him into the hug.

“How long are you guys able to stay?” she asked as they pulled apart, moving to the kitchen to grab her phone off the counter.

“About that,” Archie winced, “Ow!” he shot Jughead an angry look when he punched him in the shoulder.

“Not now,” he whispered.

“What’s going on?” she pressed, putting her phone down and looking at them.

Archie looked expectedly to Jughead, tilting his head for him to explain.

“I don’t want you worry about it, but we actually can’t go back,” he muttered.

“What do you mean, can’t go back?” she felt the anger rise in her, she knew what it meant, but she didn’t want to believe it.

“Your dad made it very clear we weren’t allowed to have contact with you,” Archie took a breath before smiling tightly at her, “but you don’t need to worry about it, not tonight.”

Veronica felt sick as the heat from her tears started to pool in her eyes. She knew her dad was horrible, but he couldn’t have banished them.

“Sorry that took a little longer than expected, I had to take care of something” Sweet Pea came down the stairs, a concerned look on his face as he looked to Veronica.

“No worries,” Archie smiled brightly, as if nothing had happened.

“Are we ready to head out?” Jughead pushed taking a deep breath as he started walking to the front door.

“You ok?” Sweet Pea asked Veronica quietly before they left the kitchen and followed Archie and Jughead.

She nodded and blinked back the tears as she put on the calm Lodge-face she’d become an expert at conveying. She could feel his eyes burning through her back as she headed out the front door, her fingers clinching into fists to keep her from turning around and looking at him. She didn’t want him to think she was weak.

“Hey, let me give you guys the address so you can meet us there,” Sweet Pea hollered at Archie as he pulled out his phone, “I want to take Veronica somewhere on the way.”

“I still don’t like the idea of her in your car man,” Archie protested.

“We’re not taking my car,” he left it at that as he sent Archie the address along with Fangs’ number, “give him a call when you get there and he’ll get you guys in.”

Veronica swallowed as she let him take her hand and lead her back towards the house. He didn’t say a word, but she could feel the calmness he was radiating, a gentle wave covering her like a blanket.

She stumbled slightly as she tried to head up the stairs but he pulled her to the side of the house instead, walking a little further until she saw the faint light of an attached garage.

“Do you have another car in here?” she asked quietly as he opened the door and let her in. The room felt cold, sending goosebumps across her skin as she tried to adjust to the darkness.

“Tell me what’s wrong,” he demanded softly from behind her, his arms circling her and pulling her flush against him.

“My dad banished Archie and Jughead for coming to see me,” her chin trembled as she relaxed back into him. Sweet Pea didn’t say anything but she could feel his anger as he wrapped himself tighter around her.

“I’ll take care of it,” he finally whispered, “please try not to think about it tonight; they are safe here.”

“Thank you,” she laced her fingers through his and rested her head on his shoulder, “I didn’t know it was possible for an alpha to be so kind.”

“No offense, but your dad being a dick has nothing to do with him being an alpha,” he smiled when she chuckled at him. “Do you feel better?”

She nodded her head, “What did you have to take care of?”

“What do you mean?” he released his grip on her and pulled away, turning the light on to reveal a motorcycle sitting in the middle of the room.

“When you came down stairs, you said something about taking care of something,” she wandered past him to look at the bike, her hand skimming over the seat.

He laughed as he grabbed an extra helmet for her, “your skirt got me a little too excited,” he teased as he handed her the helmet.

“Oh,” she blushed as she put her helmet on, “so where are you taking me?” she took his hand and slid on the bike behind him.

“I thought we could just drive for a bit, show you around your new home,” he kicked the bike off the stand as he started it up.

Veronica couldn’t believe how lucky she was. She kicked herself for ever being scared or angry of this place, or worse for being scared of Sweet Pea. Had she known about how wonderful he was, she would have run away from her father years ago.

This place that looked so dull and boring only days ago was now beautiful and full of possibilities. She could imagine running with him through the fields behind their house, grilling in the backyard as their friends gathered on weekends, what the house would sound like with children running around. That idea scared her more than anything, how much she wanted to have a family with him. She’d never really thought about kids before because he was such an unknown, but now she found herself picturing them with dark, wild hair like his, and their laughter bubbling out of them as he chased them around the kitchen. She’d cook for them; making birthday cakes and Sunday waffles, and when the kids would spend the night with Cheryl or Fangs, they’d make love on every surface of the house.

She bit her lip and tried to squeeze her thighs together, but she was wrapped around him and it only caused her to roll forward as the friction from his jeans on her inner thighs felt amazing. Her breathing increased as she laid her head against his back and inhaled deeply, his scent taking over her senses.

The bike sped up and she gripped him tighter, unsure how she was expected to spend time with her friends when she was this worked up.

He pulled into a parking lot and drove around to the back of the bar that Cheryl and Fangs had taken her to the day before. It looked different, the neon lights of the sign casting a glow over the parking lot. It was quiet in the back, the distant sound of music vibrating off the walls as he parked the bike, his hands holding her arms in place.

“I’m going to take you in the back way, through my office, ok?” his voice was rough and deep and sent shocks through her veins.

He dismounted the bike smoothly and held his hand out for her, pulling her to his side, she had to jog to keep up with his long strides. He must be angry with her, she thought, the thickness of the air around them squeezing her lungs.

“What am I going to do with you?” he breathed heavily as he bent down to pick her up, her legs wrapping around his waist.

“I’m sorry,” she ran her hands up his chest as he pressed her back against his door.

“You smell unbelievable right now,” he kissed her hard, swallowing her moan as he pressed against her.

“I don’t know what is happening,” she rolled forward as he rested his forehead on her shoulder, “I just couldn’t stop.”

“It’s the mark,” he tried to steady his breath, “it will let up in a minute, but it’s only going to get worse.”

“Why is it so strong?” she kissed him when he looked back up at her, her fingers threading through his hair.

“We haven’t mated,” he kissed her neck tenderly, “and we’re still a bit away from the full moon. It’s going to come and go for a few days, and the closer we get to the moon, the longer these spells will last.”

“It feels so good,” her eyes fluttered shut, “you haven’t even touched me and I swear I could come right now.”

He growled low, “Baby, we can’t do this tonight,” pulling her away from the door and walking them to the couch in the middle of the room.

“Why not?” she whined, settling over his lap as he sat down.

“You’re not thinking clear right now,” he grabbed her hips to hold her still, keeping her from rubbing against him.

“All I’ve been doing is thinking,” she pushed his hands away and pulled herself against him, “thinking about you, about us, about how you are going to feel.”

“You are going to feel better than anything I’ve ever experienced,” he grabbed her head and forced her to look at him, “and when we finally do this, it’s going to be amazing. But I will not let our first time be in this dingy office in the back of a bar.”

“You want it to be special,” she smiled at him, the cloud of lust starting to dissipate as he rubbed soothing circles on her back.

“You deserve for it to be special,” he kissed the tip of her nose gently.

“I love that you’re such a softy,” she leaned forward and laid her head on his shoulder.

He held her closely, their breathing returning to normal as they sat silently together until a loud knock at the door interrupted them.

“Here,” he grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch and covered her with it as he moved her off his lap before standing and crossing the room to the door.

“Hey,” Fangs looked sheepishly at him, “I came back to use the bathroom and I caught the scent,” he winced apologetically at him, “just wanted to give you the heads up before you bring her out here.”

“Thanks,” Sweet Pea huffed, as he wiped his hand over his face.

“I can distract everyone for a while if you guys want to head home?” he smirked teasingly.

“You are on thin ice, Fogarty,” he warned as he pushed him out of the doorway.

Veronica grinned sheepishly at him as he shut the door again. “Now what?” she giggled at their situation.

“I’ve got a bathroom right there,” he nodded to the door in the corner, “wash up and then we can head out there,” he held his hand out for her and helped her up, trying to avoid watching her as she pulled her skirt back down.

She pushed up on her toes and kissed his cheek, “our first time is going to be special no matter where it happens,” she smiled at him before walking to the bathroom and shutting the door behind her.


	4. I'll be here just waiting and hoping for every long dream of you to come true - F. Scott Fitzgerald

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What kind of stuff do you like?” he asked as he rummaged through the items, “she’s got different sweet breads in here, fruit pies, oh, these chocolate ones are one of my favorite,” his hands were getting full as he pulled a sampling out of the trunk.
> 
> Veronica’s eyes landed on a tray of cinnamon rolls layered thick with a white icing, she reached for them at the same time he did, her hand brushing alongside his. She quickly pulled hers back and looked at him apologetically.
> 
> “Good choice, her cinnamon rolls are amazing,” he tucked them into his arm and motioned for her to shut the trunk.
> 
> She followed closely behind him as they reached the front door, “Can you reach into my pocket and get the key?”
> 
> She swallowed hard before dipping her fingers into his front pocket, the pulsing between her legs getting heavier.
> 
> “Just a few more minutes, baby,” he calmed her, smiling softly when she looked up at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little bit of smut for a Monday morning? Sounds like a good way to start a week off to me...
> 
> That's your official warning...this story turns pretty smutty from here on out...
> 
> I've updated "This Is the First Day of My Life" as well, so if you're following that story too, head on over and check it out.
> 
> Please leave me a note and let me know that you were here :)

Sweet Pea shuffled through the papers at his desk as he waited for Veronica to finish cleaning up. He shifted in his chair as he thought about her pressed against him on his bike.

“Are you really trying to get work done while our friends are out there having fun?” Veronica teased as she came out of the bathroom.

“There’s always work to be done,” he shrugged his arm sliding around her waist as she came to stand beside him.

“Anything I can help with?” she asked as she leaned into him.

“You really want to help with this mess?” he joked, motioning to the papers scattered across his desk.

“Well, maybe not tonight,” she laughed, “but I wouldn’t mind helping you if you need it.”

Veronica turned and leaned against the desk facing him and smiled.

“I guess I didn’t think about what you would do once you were here,” he leaned back in his chair and looked at her sheepishly.

“I just want to contribute,” she shrugged, “I know that there’s a lot that goes into taking care of a pack, no matter how bad of an example my father was. I want to take care of you, make sure you have everything you need so that you can focus on taking care of everyone else.”

“It’s been a long time since somebody took care of me,” he stood from his chair and stepped closer to her, “are you sure that’s what you want? I might be a handful.”

Veronica stood and lifted her chin to him, “I love a challenge,” she smirked.

Cheryl came bursting through the door just before he kissed her. An annoyed groan rising in his throat caused Veronica to giggle.

“Ok you two, time to come and join everyone else,” Cheryl marched across the office and grabbed Veronica’s hand, “Although, I understand why you’ve been wanting to keep her to yourself, Pea. You look amazing, Vee.”

Cheryl pulled Veronica towards the door, leaving it open as she dragged her down the hallway.

Sweet Pea took a deep breath as he looked around the office, her scent was still lingering in the room, an intoxicating mixture that settled deep in his bones. Based on the way their first heat rush went, they would be clawing at each other in no time.

A quick image of her breathing heavily under him flashed through his mind, the sound of her moaning in his ear sending chills down his spin. Her body reacted so beautifully to his touch. He thought about what their first time would be like, when they were alone and there was no one there to interrupt them. He knew that couldn’t do it at their house, not with Jughead and Archie staying there, the thought of anyone other than him smelling her like that sent a wave of anger over his entire body. But he wouldn’t let this place be an option, it was filled with too many bad memories and wouldn’t offer him a place to lay her down as he explored her body the way he wanted to.

There was so much to do to take care of the Greendale coven, and now having to deal with Hiram to bring Archie and Jughead into his pack only furthered his worries. There was no other option in his mind, he couldn’t let them go back and try to make amends, and he couldn’t let them turn rogue. It would upset Veronica too much and all he wanted was to make sure she never wanted for anything. Her happiness had become his number one priority.

He grabbed his phone from his desk and shoved it in his pocket as he left his office, shutting the door behind him as he went. He could hear her laughing over the music, his body tuned into hers ever since the connection, and it pulled him to her. He didn’t have to search for her, his feet moved on their own as he pushed through the busy bar, the smoke doing little to dampen her scent.

She was dancing happily with Fangs pressed behind her. The rational part of his brain told him it was nothing, Fangs’ eyes were fixated on her red-haired friend standing at the pool table anyway. But that didn’t mean he liked it. Cheryl and Betty were dancing with them, the smiles on their faces helping to calm him. They were all so happy, it almost made him forget all the shitty stuff going on.

He passed behind them and headed to the bar, checking in with Joaquin and grabbing drinks for the group.

“So, what do you think of our little bar?” he asked Archie and Jughead as he joined them at the pool table before Archie sunk his shot.

“It is like a whole other planet then where we’re from,” Archie smirked.

“Much better looking, too,” Jughead muttered as he turned his eyes to Betty as she twirled around Cheryl.

“Veronica told me about the dick move her dad made,” Sweet Pea crossed his arms over his chest.

“We’ll figure something out,” Jughead turned back to them, “I don’t want her worrying about us.”

“What if she didn’t have to worry?” he leaned against the table.

“I don’t follow,” Archie leaned against his cue as he furrowed his brow.

“There’s a place for you here,” Sweet Pea offered, “if you want it.”

“You barely know us,” Jughead squinted at him, “hell, you barely know Veronica, are you sure you want to do this?”

Sweet Pea looked over Jughead’s shoulder, smiling softly as he watched her dance happily. “Positive.”

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Veronica sighed as she put her hair into a bun, she’d had a wonderful night with her friends, but she felt exhausted. She slid her skirt off her hips before pulling her nightgown over her head, the hem hitting in the same spot her skirt did. Maybe this was too much for sleeping with him, the soft buzz of the liquor still humming through her veins. Maybe that meant it was exactly the right time to wear it, she could still feel the heat from his body pressed between her legs as they rode home from the bar.

It had to be more than just the heat cycle that was making the warmth pool between her legs this way. It was him, his kindness and strength, his loyalty and leadership, and his face; oh God his face, with his soft lips and perfect smile. No, it was more than just the heat. But how could she get him to see how badly she wanted him?

She looked at herself in the mirror one more time, letting her fingers run gently over the mark on her neck. Her eyes fluttered shut as her finger circled the raise flesh, her other hand bunching at the fabric of her nightgown as she inched it slowly up her thigh.

“Veronica,” Sweet Pea growled from the other side of the bathroom door, “stop, please stop.”

Her eyes opened as she pulled her hand away, letting her nightgown fall back into place. She slowly opened the door to find Sweet Pea leaning against the wall breathing heavily.

“I’m sorry,” she blushed, “it just felt so good.”

“Trust me,” he straightened, “I could feel how good it felt too.”

“Pea, how are we supposed to do this?” she whined as she stepped in front of him, “Ever since this morning, it’s basically all I can think about,” she ran her hands under his shirt and across his skin.

“We’re going to Greendale tomorrow, so we’ll be with people,” he walked her backwards towards the bed, “and Betty and Fangs are taking Archie and Jughead to look for places to stay, hopefully they will find something.”

“Places to stay?” she asked as she crawled backwards on the bed, pulling him down on top of her once she was settled.

“I asked them to join our pack tonight,” he nipped at her neck as he ran his hand up her thigh, dipping his fingers under the fabric cautiously.

“You did that for me?” her heart pounded as she looked at him.

“I told you, you’re my forever,” he kissed her lips softly, “Any family of yours is family of mine. And I protect my family at all cost.”

“Pea,” Veronica’s eyes watered as she looked up at him, “You are unbelievable.”

“I’m going to give you an amazing life,” he pulled his hand up to wipe away the tears, “and I wish we were alone right now, so that we can start that life tonight. But you know we can’t do this with them down the hall.”

“I’ll ask them to leave if it means you keep touching me like this,” she laughed happily.

“Just a few more days,” he paused before rolling off her, laying on his back and holding his arm out for her to lay next to him.

“Can we go shopping tomorrow?” she asked as she laid her cheek on his chest. “I want to pick up some food so I can start cooking for us.”

“Of course,” he closed his eyes and let his hand trail slowly up and down her arm.

“What are the coven members like?” she wondered, his soft touch lulling her towards sleep.

“The head of the coven, the high priestess, is Zelda. She and my mother were really good friends, although it’s hard to imagine because my mother was more like her sister Hilda, sweet and kind and welcoming,” he explained, his heart slowing as Veronica started to calm down. “Their niece, Sabrina, is our age and will take over the coven when Zelda decides to step down. She’s a lot like Cheryl, tough and full of sass, but a heart of gold underneath it all.”

Veronica hummed as she wrapped her arm tighter against Sweet Pea’s waist, settling herself as close to him as she could as he continued to tell stories of the coven.

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Veronica smiled at Cheryl as she came bouncing out the front door of her house and skipped across her front lawn to meet her and Sweet Pea as they waited in his car.

“Good morning beautiful people,” she chirped as she slid into the back seat.

“Someone’s having a good morning,” Veronica teased as Sweet Pea pulled away from the curb.

“You’re one to talk,” she countered, “Don’t think I haven’t noticed the glow you have this morning.”

“Mind your own business Cheryl,” Sweet Pea directed as he lifted Veronica’s hand to his mouth and kissed it.

Cheryl rolled her eyes, not losing the smile on her face as she watched the interaction.

“Even you can’t spoil my mood today, Sasquatch,” she tilted her chin up defiantly.

“Tell me about this girl that has you all excited,” Veronica turned in her seat to look at Cheryl.

Cheryl sighed dramatically, “Oh, my little pink haired witch,” she grinned at Veronica, “She is incredibly talented at healing. That’s how we met. I had been running in the forest with Fangs and accidently got my leg trapped in a snare, and he rushed me to Greendale because Pea was there helping with the coven,” Cheryl smiled thankfully at Sweet Pea through the rearview mirror, “Toni was able to clean me up and used a healing spell to fix my leg; you can’t even see any scarring.”

“Wow,” Veronica leaned further to look at Cheryl’s leg.

“I know,” she grinned, “I had to spend the night there in case something went wrong, and she stayed with me all night so I wouldn’t be alone.”

“That’s sweet,” Veronica smiled at her. “And you’re gonna spend the day with her?”

“And maybe the night, who knows where the day will take us,” she teased playfully.

“I thought you were on watch tonight,” Sweet Pea asked as he looked back at her.

“I was, but Fangs offered to trade with me,” Cheryl leaned forward and dropped her voice, “he’s going to see if Archie wants to do the watch with him so he can learn how to do it.”

“Does he even know if Archie is interested?” Sweet Pea scoffed as he shook his head.

“Archie is…open,” Veronica hesitated as she thought about the word to use, “He likes who he likes, and I think that if he spends any time alone with Fangs he will definitely be interested.”

“And what about Jughead,” Cheryl winked, “Do you think he’ll make a move on our princess?”

Veronica quickly flicked her eyes to Sweet Pea to gage his reaction, “Jug is really shy,” she started.

“So is Betty,” he answered, “but if you think they could be a potential match, we can have her over for dinner tonight, try and get the two of them more comfortable with each other.”

“You wouldn’t mind?” Veronica smiled softly.

“I’m not usually a fan of interfering with other people’s relationships, but they are our best friends, and if you think Jughead will treat her right, then I’m on board to help push them together,” he shrugged.

“See,” Cheryl whispered quietly to Veronica.

“Under his sarcastic demeaner, Jug is sensitive, I think he’ll be tender with her,” She confirmed.

“That’s enough confirmation for me,” Sweet Pea looked over his shoulder as he changed lanes. He was so easy with this conversation that it kind of threw Veronica for a loop. He had said he wasn’t in love with her, and the more time she spent with him the more she was actually starting to believe it.

Veronica felt her phone buzz in her pocket. Turning around in her seat she looked questioningly at the screen where Cheryl’s name had appeared.

_Cheryl: I told you he didn’t love her_

_Cheryl: I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you_

_Cheryl: You are amazing Veronica_

_Cheryl: He is completely falling for you_

Veronica smiled at the texts as they came through.

_Veronica: I’m falling for him, too_

_Veronica: I’ve never felt so attracted to someone_

_Veronica: I don’t think it’s just the bite either_

_Veronica: If I would have met him before this, I would still feel this way_

Veronica bit her lip nervously as she sent the text, her heart beating wildly at her confession to Cheryl. It was the first time she’d said it to anyone other than herself, and seeing the words lit brightly on her screen made them real. She was falling for Sweet Pea, after only three days, and it scared her a little.

_Cheryl: We have to schedule a girl’s night!_

_Cheryl: I want to talk about this without his big dumb ears hearing us!_

Veronica laughed as she read her texts, glad to finally have a girlfriend to talk about this stuff with.

“Secrets don’t make friends, you two,” Sweet Pea raised his eyebrows playfully at Veronica.

“Mind your own business Pea,” Cheryl mocked him for his previous comment.

“You better not be telling her any embarrassing stories,” he warned.

“There are embarrassing stories?” Veronica teased.

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell you all of them at our slumber party?” Cheryl joked back.

Sweet Pea growled, his eyes narrowing at Cheryl through the rearview mirror.

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Sweet Pea felt a sense power as he led Veronica through the bookstore, her hand tucked safely in his as she followed closely behind him. It must have been what his father felt like, a bonded alpha brimming with pride. He felt closer to him than he had in all the time he’d been alpha, the feeling making his heart ache as he thought of him.

“Are you ok?” Veronica asked quietly, her free hand reaching across her body to rub soothingly on his bicep.

“I’m just happy you’re here with me,” he whispered quietly as he squeezed her hand.

“Oh, Pea, I’m so happy to see you!” Hilda giggled as she ran to him, tossing her arms around him happily.

“Always happy to see you Aunt H,” he wrapped his arms around her tightly.

“I’ve been baking like crazy since you left, I hope you didn’t bring that bike of yours, you’re gonna need all the trunk space you have to carry them home,” she smiled warmly.

“You didn’t have to do that,” he grinned, “but you know I love your baking almost as much as I love you.”

Hilda swatted him playfully before gasping as she finally noticed Veronica beside him. “Oh, you must be Veronica,” she quickly wrapped her arms around her, “I’m so happy to finally meet you!”

Veronica looked at Sweet Pea as he grinned down at them, a smile tugging on her lips as she wrapped her arms around her as well.

“Let me get a good look at you,” she pulled back, her hands grasping at Veronica’s shoulders, “Oh, you’re a beautiful one.”

Veronica blushed as she laughed at her.

“I swear Hilda, you act as though you’ve never seen a young girl before,” Zelda rolled her eyes from the doorway.

“Aunt Z, I’d like for you to meet Veronica,” Sweet Pea placed his hand on the small of her back comfortingly.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Veronica instinctually stepped closer to Sweet Pea as she smiled at Zelda.

“I’m sure it is,” she replied dryly.

“Oh, don’t you bother with her,” Hilda wrapped an arm around Veronica and led her behind the curtain at the back of the store, “I don’t think she’s smiled a day in her life.”

Veronica chuckled lightly as she looked around the backroom, the smell of coffee and old books swirled around her, along with mint and, she couldn’t quit place her finger on it.

“It’s moss,” Sweet Pea whispered in her ear, “Cerberus smells like mint and moss.”

“It’s nice,” she grinned at Hilda, “have you two been together long?”

Hilda shook her head, “We met about a year ago,” she smiled sweetly, “but it was love at first sight for me.”

“Me too, my love,” Cerberus joined them from the door in the corner. “Sweet Pea,” he greeted him with a hug, “want to introduce me to our new Luna?” Cerberus smiled widely as he looked to Veronica.

“This is Veronica,” Sweet Pea’s eyes brightened as he looked at her. No one had referred to her as Luna yet because the bond wasn’t complete. After the full moon, and after she bites him, she will take on some of his power, and then she’ll become the pack’s Luna. “Veronica, this is Cerberus.”

“Are you feeling better?” Veronica asked, her voice full of concern, “I’ve never known anyone to recover from monkshood so quickly.”

Cerberus chuckled, “You are kind like your mother was,” he held her shoulders as he studied her face, “and just as stunning; thankfully you didn’t take after your father.”

“You knew my mother,” Veronica drew in a breath as she blinked at him.

“When we were young, before she mated with your father, she used to belong to a pack up north,” he explained, his eyes scanning her face, “you look so much like her.”

“Can you tell me more about her?” Veronica’s voice broke as she bit her lip to hold in her tears.

“I’d loved to,” he looked over her should at Sweet Pea, “I think I even have some old pictures back at my house. Why don’t you finish meeting everyone while I go get them, and then we can have tea together this afternoon.”

Veronica wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and he chuckled.

“Thank you,” she whispered into his neck before pulling away.

“Sabrina is waiting downstairs for you,” Zelda spoke from behind them, her eyes glassy.

Sweet Pea guided Veronica to the closet in the corner, chuckling softly when she looked at him with a confused expression on her face. He shut the door and paused, pulling her against him in a hug.

“Pea,” she breathed, her heart rate increasing as she pushed closer to him.

“We don’t have very long,” he tried to back away but there wasn’t much space in the tiny room, and if her were being honest, he didn’t really mind.

“Just, touch me for a little bit,” she angled her head to the side and he let out a growl at the site of her bite, his head dipping instantly to lightly suck on the skin.

Her skin tasted like vanilla, warm and sweet and sinful. The way her breath hitched in her throat when he touched her, the skip of her heart when he nipped at her neck, the innocent moan that poured from her mouth as she arched into him; it was all too much.

“They’re already getting worse,” she whispered hoarsely, “what is it going to be like in a few days?”

“Maybe we can sneak away for a little bit,” he closed his eyes tightly as she brushed along the waistband of his jeans, “Shit, don’t do that.”

Veronica backed away quickly, her hands covering her face as she turned around.

“Please don’t be upset,” he reached for her shoulder but she pulled away.

“I’m not upset,” she sighed, “I just can’t look at you right now, not if I am supposed to calm down enough to meet your friend.”

“We can leave right now if you want to,” he gripped tightly at the railing along the wall, “just say the word and I’ll get you out of here.”

“No, it’s alright,” she turned and pressed her back against the wall opposite of him.

Sweet Pea watched her cautiously for a moment before sighing and reaching for the light switch, pulling it back and typing in the code. He let his eyes scan over Veronica as she stood there, her eyes fixed on the ground in front of them as she slowly breathed in and out. He wanted to comfort her, to wrap himself around her and tell her it would be ok, but all he could think about was the time before they would be able to be alone, a time that seemed impossibly in the future.

The door opened and she stood, her eyes moving up slowly as she stepped out of the elevator and into the main room.

“Well, you are not what I expected,” Sabrina smirked at Veronica, “sorry you got stuck with a big oaf like Pea,” she teased as Veronica smiled at her.

“Yeah, we all know I’m a lucky S.O.B,” he moaned as he stepped off the elevator, “can you just show us what you guys have found out about the monkshood?”

“A little testy, aren’t we?” Sabrina raised her brows in question before turning and heading down the same hallway he had been a couple days prior.

He followed Sabrina into the room, pausing in the doorway to watch Veronica as she looked around the main room, her eyes scanning over the artwork that hung along the walls.

“She’s way to pretty for you,” Sabrina pulled the microscope to the edge of the table and motioned for him to join her.

“You think I don’t know that?” he muttered as he grabbed the microscope and looked, a heavy sigh falling from his mouth.

“I know,” Sabrina looked apologetically at him, “it’s a strain my aunties haven’t seen in hundreds of years, they were convinced it had all died out.”

“Who the hell could have gotten their hands on this shit?” he growled.

“We can’t trace it,” Sabrina pinched her brows together, “the security footage was wiped clean, even the cameras in the street. Whoever they are, they knew what they were doing.”

“I don’t know how what to do,” Sweet Pea sat on the stool next to him, resting his head in his hands as he tried to focus, but everything around him felt foggy.

“What’s going on Pea?” Sabrina asked, concern evident on her face.

“I’m just starting to doubt my ability to be alpha,” he looked up at her, “I have no idea what to do about this, I can’t focus because all I can think about is Veronica, Betty’s sister came back to town and I have no idea where she is, I’ve taken in two new wolves because they were banished from Veronica’s old pack which means I have to deal with her asshole of a dad and I thought I’d never have to see him again.”

“Ok, first, you don’t need to doubt your alpha abilities,” Sabrina pulled a chair up and sat in front of him, “I’ve never known a wolf to be more suited to this than you.”

“You’re just saying that because I help you,” he sighed.

“Mostly,” she smiled, “but that’s part of what makes you so good at this, you care about everyone, pack or not, that’s a true leader.”

“That’s all my mother,” he thought fondly of her, “she had the biggest heart.”

“And she passed it to you,” Sabrina grinned, “and, you and Veronica are new to this, you’re still in this post mating honeymoon, it’s only natural that you can’t stop thinking about her.”

“We haven’t exactly mated yet,” he winced internally.

“Well that’s your problem bonehead,” Sabrina thumped him on the forehead, “get out of here and go spend time with her. We’ll let you know if we find anything.”

Sweet Pea tried to interject but Sabrina cut him off, “No arguing, take the day off and get your mind straight.”

Sweet Pea offered a half smile as he stood, his body aching with exhaustion from trying to hold back with her. He wondered what to do, they were clearly starting to fray already, the heat rushes picking up faster than he’d anticipated. They couldn’t wait much longer; he knew that they would explode any minute and he wanted to at least have some control in the moment.

He watched her as she circled the room, her hands gripping tightly to the purse in her hands; she was feeling it right now, he could sense it, but she was trying desperately to push it to the back of her mind.

“You ready to get out of here?” he asked quietly, her eyes moving from the painting in front of her to him, a small nod confirming that she was.

He tried not to talk on the way upstairs, his resolve melting away the closer they got to his car. Hilda had already loaded his trunk, a grateful smile tugging at his mouth as they all said their goodbyes. The drive would take them close to an hour, but he couldn’t be sure that their house would be empty when they got there. And then, as if it were a sign from God himself, he noticed the exit sign for a small bed and breakfast he’d passed so many times came into view. This could be perfect; the small secluded hotel would offer them the privacy they needed.

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Veronica waited patiently in the car as Sweet Pea talked to the lady situated at the front desk. She clinched her thighs together as she felt the heat flood her system again. She hated being out of control this way, but more than anything, she hated that he didn’t feel the same. She couldn’t understand how he could be so in control when she was practically falling apart. Every small touch sent shocks through her system, and she feared that she was starting to annoy him with how needy she was becoming.

She knew he had other things to deal with, and it didn’t go unnoticed that he rushed them out of the bookstore so quickly. She must have been putting off the scent and had embarrassed him. She wished she hadn’t done that. But as she was looking at the art work of two lovers embracing and naked, the muffled timber of his voice down the hall poured over her, and before she knew it she was imagining them in that situation, imagined her curled around him and his hands clawing gently down her back.

He got back in the car and backed out of the lot, turning down a gravel road as he slowly drove, his eyes scanning around him like he was looking for something to jump out of the forest, but then he came to a break in the road and took the small turn, a smile pulling on his face as he stopped in front of a small house in the middle of nowhere.

“Let’s grab some of the stuff Hilda put in the trunk before we go in,” he turned off the car and walked quickly to the trunk.

Veronica looked around the forest that surrounded them as she stood silently next to him, her heart rate slowing as she felt his calmness.

“What kind of stuff do you like?” he asked as he rummaged through the items, “she’s got different sweet breads in here, fruit pies, oh, these chocolate ones are one of my favorite,” his hands were getting full as he pulled a sampling out of the trunk.

Veronica’s eyes landed on a tray of cinnamon rolls layered thick with a white icing, she reached for them at the same time he did, her hand brushing alongside his. She quickly pulled hers back and looked at him apologetically.

“Good choice, her cinnamon rolls are amazing,” he tucked them into his arm and motioned for her to shut the trunk.

She followed closely behind him as they reached the front door, “Can you reach into my pocket and get the key?”

She swallowed hard before dipping her fingers into his front pocket, the pulsing between her legs getting heavier.

“Just a few more minutes, baby,” he calmed her, smiling softly when she looked up at him.

Veronica pulled out the key ring with the single key on it, opening the door and cautiously walking in. The room was cozy and warm, with soft furniture gathered around the fireplace tucked securely against the far wall. Sweet Pea moved around her and headed for the kitchen, the rustling as he put the food down on the table the only sound she could hear above the pounding of her heart. She couldn’t be here alone with him, not now, not with how badly she wanted to be with him.

“What’s the matter?” he asked as he came back into the room, toeing off his shoes next to the chair in the corner and pulling his jacket off, “do you not like it?”

“I’m sorry if I embarrassed you,” she dipped her head shyly.

“Embarrassed me?” he was in front of her before she knew it, his hands tipping her face up to look at him, “Why would I be embarrassed?”

“I didn’t mean to put off the scent,” she breathed deep, trying to swallow the lump in her throat, “I’m sorry I can’t control it.”

“They can’t smell it,” he ran his hand down her neck, his thumb rubbing soothingly over her mark.

“Then you’re not mad at me?” she closed her eyes, the feeling of his touch against the sensitive skin radiating through her body.

She felt his lips on hers and she instinctually reached for him before he picked her up and walked her to the kitchen, placing her down on the counter as he let his fingers graze along the skin between her skirt and top. She moaned into his mouth, her legs squeezing together as he pulled away and grabbed the tray of rolls before returning to her.

“I forget that you can’t feel me the same way I can feel you,” he breathed deeply, tearing off a piece of the bread and feeding it to her, “I can’t stop thinking about this, I can’t focus on anything but you,” he leaned forward and licked the stray icing from the corner of her mouth.

Veronica shivered as his sticky fingers trailed up her thigh, “More,” she closed her eyes and leaned back until she was pressed against the cabinet behind her.

“We need to eat first,” he growled, feeding her another bite, smearing the icing on his thumb down her neck, leaning forward and licking it away.

Veronica whined as he hovered over her, the sweet taste of the icing coating her mouth as she thought about doing the same thing to him, trailing it slowly down his chest and across his stomach.

“I brought us here so we can be alone for a few days,” he kissed her before feeding her again, his eyes darkening as his pupils widened. “I need to be with you before I explode,” he ran the icing down her chest beneath the dip in her shirt, the pulsing between her legs becoming almost painful as he nipped and licked across her chest.

“I need to know though,” he whispered quietly, “that you want this, mark aside; I don’t want you to have to do anything you regret.”

Veronica opened her eyes and stared at him, the vulnerable look on his face tugging achingly at her heart.

“I would have wanted you this way no matter when we met,” she searched his eyes to see if he believed her, “that first night in the forest, before you marked me, your scent and your voice, the gentle way you comforted me, I’ve been building on that moment with you.”

His hands slid up her thighs, his fingers dipping cautiously under the hem as he tested the waters.

“I can’t believe we are about to do this,” his eyes dipped to his hands as he pushed them a little higher.

Veronica could feel his heart beating strong, his pulse picking up as she spread her legs wider for him. She wanted him to move quicker, to touch her so he could see just how badly she wanted him; but he needed a push, something to tell him she was ready for him. She crossed her arms over her stomach and pulled her shirt over her head a small smile forming on her face as she watched him rake his eyes across the newly exposed skin.

She reached for the pan, her pointer finger running along the side as it gathered the extra icing before sitting up and making eye contact with him. A smirk formed slowly on her face as she pulled the icing down her chest, between the dip between her breasts, along the edge of her bra. Her chest rising and falling as her breathing increased, the shock of how bold she was becoming making her drunk with desire.

He pulled one of his hands away from her skirt and lightly skimmed across her skin as he pulled it up and wrapped it around the back of her neck; he leaned forward and placed open mouthed kisses along the trail she’d left for him, his tongue licking her clean as he sucked gently across the tender skin.

She pushed the hand still on her thigh higher, until she felt the tip of his fingers circle over the wet fabric.

He growled deep as he let his hand drop from her neck to her shoulder, pulling the strap of her bra down her arm before moving to the fabric covering her, pulling gently to expose her breast as he kissed his way across it, his tongue teasing her hardened nipple and sucking it into his mouth.

His let his pointer finger trace along the edge of her panties before slowly pushing beneath the lacy fabric, the back of his finger moving slowly up and down teasingly. He had to know now, just how badly she wanted him.

She pulled the hem of her skirt up, allowing her to spread her legs even wider. She needed to feel him inside her, needed to know what he would feel like as she stretched around him.

“Take them off,” she demanded softly, her arms reaching behind her and unhooking her bra, tossing it to the side as she looked back at him.

Sweet pea hooked his thumbs under the waistband and pulled them down her legs, tossing them aside, he reached for the collar of his shirt and pulled it over his head. Once he was free, he reached forward and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her off the counter and securing her legs around his waist. She moaned at the feeling of her exposed center rubbing against the buckle of his belt, his skin warm to her touch as she rolled her hips against him.

He walked them through the cabin, pushing through the door at the end of the hallway and placing her down on the bed. She reached for the zipper on the side of her skirt, pulling it slowly down before he removed it. She laid there completely exposed to him as he unfastened his belt and pushed his jeans down his thighs, climbing on top of her and hovering over her face.

“I don’t know how to show you what I’m feeling right now,” he whispered, his hand pushing her legs apart, “You’re perfect,” he eyed her, kissing down her chest and across her stomach.

Her breath hitched in her throat as he kissed lower and lower, nipping his way up her thigh before settling over her. She felt impossibly wet as his tongue touched her for the first time, her back arching off the bed as he continued to lick and suck at her clit. Her vision blurred as she felt herself crash into the edge, her heart pounding in her chest as he slid a hand up her thigh and pressed his middle finger inside her. Her gasp at the new sensation made him chuckle, the vibration softly covering her.

“Sweet Pea,” she moaned, her voice unable to find the words to express how amazing she felt.

“How many times do you think I can make you come this weekend?” he muttered against her skin, “How many surfaces can I have you on?” he continued his assault as her legs began to tremble.

“You can have me wherever you want me,” she breathed, her orgasm starting to pool in her stomach.

“Good girl,” he praised, the phrase sending a shock wave through her body as she crumbled around him, the relief from days of heat crashing around her

He continued to suck at her, cleaning the mess with his tongue happily as she settled her breathing. Forever, she thought, stay down there forever.

Once she was clean, he sat up, pushing his boxers down his waist and kicking them off, his fist pumping a few times before he lined up with her, kissing across her jaw before covering her mouth with his as he pushed into her.

Veronica saw stars forming behind her eyes at the feeling of him inside her, he was bigger than she thought, as he hit her deeper than she was ready for. Her nerve endings were still on fire from her first orgasm, the start of the next beginning to pulse through her body. She wasn’t ready to come again, she wanted to feel him connected with her for as long as possible.

She shifted her weight and pushed him backwards, rolling with him as she straddled his lap and sat up, the new angle causing her to wince with pleasure. She waited for her body to adjust before rolling her hips, slow and sensual as he gripped tightly to them.

“Fuck, you feel,” he breathed heavily, “you feel,” he couldn’t get the words out, a sense of power pulled at her core as he stumbled. He’d been so in control for the last few days, to watch him now, a complete slave to his desire like she had been, filled her with pride. She was taking care of him, she was making him feel good, she was pleasing him.

She never understood that kink, the desire to please and submit to her partner, but as he hit deep inside her she felt the words roll off her tongue as if her mouth had a mind of its own, “That’s it; tell me how you feel, daddy.”

He growled deep in his throat as he sat up, holding her hips in place as she continued to roll them against him.

“Say it again,” he demanded, his head dipping to take one of her nipples into his mouth, his teeth gently biting at the raised flesh.

“Daddy,” she moaned at the sting of pain from his teeth.

He pushed her backwards so he was laying on top again, a smirk pulling at his mouth as he pumped in and out of her, dipping his head to suck on her mark, “I love it when you call me that.”

She hiked one of her legs over his hip, the other wrapping around his leg as he pounded against her. She hoped it would always feel like this, the deep connection they shared tethering them together as she felt him expand inside of her. Her toes pointed as she arched up under him, “Again, I’m coming again,” she whined as she finished, the feeling of him still inside her pulsing core preparing her for another wave before the other had finished.

“Stay with me, baby, just a little bit longer,” he softly demanded, pulling himself out of her as he flipped her over, pulling her hips up to his as he slid easily back into her, his hand reaching around her until his thumb found her clit and began rubbing circles over it.

“Oh, God,” she shuttered at the new feeling, his hips smacking rhythmically against her ass. She’d lost count of how many times she’d come, her mind deciding that they would be connected like this forever. She belonged to him, and whatever he wanted to do, for however long he wanted to do it, she would give into him.

“I’m about to finish,” he growled as he bent over her, his mouth nipping lightly at her ear, “can you be a good girl and give me one more?”

She nodded drunkenly, the orgasm already swirling around her. His movements became less controlled as she felt him fully expand inside her, the warm feeling of his cum filling her up as her walls tightened around him.

He laid them down on their sides as he stayed inside her, his arm circling around her and pulling her as tight against him as he could as he continued to fill her. Her eyes fluttered shut as he kissed along her bare shoulder, whispering how good she was, how proud he was of his good girl.

“I hope you know now, how much I’ve wanted you since the moment I met you,” his breath was warm against her skin, “all my dreams of this, of how you would feel, none of them were as amazing as that just was.”

“How long?” she asked quietly, her eyes beginning to blink shut with exhaustion.

“For what?” he asked, nuzzling against her neck.

“How long can we stay here?” she hummed happily.

“I booked us for three days,” he tightened his hold on her, “But I’d stay here forever if you wanted.”

She chuckled at him, a warm happiness filling her body as she fell into an immediate sleep.


	5. You have a place in my heart no one else could ever have - F. Scott Fitzgerald

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I just mean, to attack a town that is pretty much all witches just to get to one wolf, it doesn’t make much sense,” she explained.
> 
> “That’s a good point,” Cheryl hummed, “I mean, we’re only an hour away, if you were really going for wolves why wouldn’t you come here?”
> 
> “Because I’m here,” he thought quietly.
> 
> “I’m not sure I follow,” Veronica drug her finger lazily across his shoulder.
> 
> “If you want to come for wolves, I’m here, I could fix it,” he explained, “if you want to test it out, you do it somewhere there’s no alpha. He was kind of a sitting duck. I was just able to get to him before it was too late.”
> 
> “So, if that theory holds, who would have it out for us?” Cheryl asked, the thought that anyone would mess with them seeming so foreign.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: So much smut...not really sorry about it...
> 
> Also...updated "This Is The First Day Of My Life", head over and check it out if you follow that story as well.
> 
> Leave me a note and let me know you were here...

Sweet Pea had gotten up once he slid out of her, the trail of his cum pulling with him. He moved to the bathroom to clean up, wetting a rag and bringing it back to bed with him so he could gently clean her as well. He didn’t want to wake her, she looked so peaceful and satisfied. He let his eyes rake over her body, at the dark spots littered across her skin from him, like he’d marked her up so everyone would know. He slowly pulled the sheets up and around her, bending down to kiss her forehead before reaching for his boxers on the floor and slipping them on.

He felt relaxed, not realizing how tense he’d been over the last few days as he tried to fight away his desire for her. He moved to the kitchen, collecting their discarded clothes along the way, a satisfied grin on his face when he found her panties slung on the back of one of the dining room chairs. He wished he would have been in his right mind to take her clothes of in a more deliberate manner, the black lace looked seductive and inviting. He bet her ass looked amazing in them.

He quietly moved back to the room, setting them in the chair in the corner in case she wanted to put them on when she woke, although he secretly hoped she didn’t.

He looked at the table of food when he returned to the kitchen, they were going to need more than just the baked goods that Hilda had provided for them. He opened the drawer and looked for the takeout menus the woman at the front desk had told him about, finding them in the one by the sink. Pizza, Chinese, Indian, Mexican; it seemed like they had a little of everything to choose from. He picked a few options and called to order them, setting about cleaning things up again. He popped his thumb into his mouth to lick away the icing he picked up as he put the lid back on the container, his dick twitching at the familiar taste and the memory of eating it off her body flooded his system.

“You eating without me?” she’d come out in his t-shirt, her hair ruffled and her lips swollen and red.

“Just trying to clean up,” he smiled at her, opening his arms for her so she could wrap herself around him, “I ordered us some real food, too.”

Veronica hummed as she rubbed her nosed against his skin, “What did you get?”

“A little bit of everything,” his breath hitched in his throat as she kissed along his chest.

“How long do we have?” she sucked little bites on his skin as her hands danced playfully along the waistband of his boxers.

“Not nearly enough for that,” he moaned, his eyes closing as she palmed him through the thin fabric.

“Too bad,” she purred, pushing up on her toes and bringing him down to kiss her.

His hands wrapped around her waist, his shirt ridding up her body as she stretched, his hands dipping to squeeze her ass only to find she was naked under his shirt.

“You are unbelievably sexy,” he trailed his hand under the shirt and up her back.

“It’s not like I could put them back on,” she whispered as she sucked his ear playfully into her mouth, “I ruined them with how wet I was for you.”

He groaned deeply as he moved his hands around to her front, his thumbs rubbing gently over her hardened nipples.

“I thought it would let up after we had sex,” she moaned, arching her back under his touch, “but now that I know what a god you are in bed, I think I want you even more than I did before.”

“A god, huh?” he chuckled as he dropped to his knees, pushing the t-shirt out of the way as he kissed along her stomach.

“Did I have a different experience than you?” her eyes fluttered shut as he flicked his tongue teasingly over her.

“You kidding?” he hummed as he gently pushed her legs apart, “I’m going to worship your body for the rest of my life.”

“Pea, I thought you said the food would be here soon?” she let out a loud moan as he sucked her into his mouth.

“Let’s see if I can’t get you off before they do?” he slid his finger inside of her pumping a few times before adding a second.

Veronica reached down and tangled her hands through his hair, her legs beginning to shake as his tongue circled her clit. Her body was still so sensitive from that afternoon that even the slightest touch from him was driving her wild.

“Pea, you have to stop or I’m going to come again,” she sighed, her hands pulling at his hair as she tried to fight it.

“That’s kind of the point, baby,” he looked up at her as a smirk pulled at her face, “the driver just turned onto the road, finish for me before he knocks,” he rubbed his thumb over her as his fingers pumped in and out of her.

“Pea,” her heart rate increased as she tried to catch her breath, her head dropping backwards as her legs began to give. Sweet Pea pulled his fingers out and grabbed her hips to hold her up, his tongue circling her again as he heard the crunch of the gravel outside the door.

“Come for daddy,” he smiled, as her juices seeped from between her legs.

“Fuck,” she breathed heavily, her hands gripping at the counter to hold herself up.

The driver knocked on the door as Sweet Pea stood, grabbing a kitchen towel to wipe his mouth as he walked to the door. He signed the receipts quickly, growling low when the driver peeked around him.

“You’d do better to keep your eyes to yourself,” he pushed him through the door and shut it quickly, bringing the food into the kitchen where Veronica was standing naked.

She turned under his arms when he reached for her, pressing her ass against his crotch as she guided his hands to roam over her body. Once she was satisfied with his caress, she reached behind her and pushed his boxers off his hips, her hand circling around his cock as she slid it up and down.

“Fuck me,” she begged, her hand dipping between her legs.

Sweet Pea moved her to the living room, bending her over the arm of the couch as he lined himself up and pushed into her.

“You feel so amazing,” he sighed, his hands grabbing her hips as he pumped in and out.

Veronica cried out in pleasure, her hands gripping onto the couch tightly as her vision began to blur. Sweet Pea needed more, he needed to see her and taste her, and while she looked like a goddess bent over in front of him, he wanted to finish while looking into her eyes,

She whined as he pulled out of her, a small chuckle falling from his lips as he moved around the couch, sitting down as he pulled her into his lap.

Veronica kissed his lips as she sunk down on top of him, her hands tangling in his hair as she bucked her hips in rhythm with his.

He reached up and palmed her breasts, kissing and sucking as she threw her head back, a satisfied breath pouring heavily from her throat.

“Sweet Pea,” she closed her eyes tightly as her fingers clawed down his chest, her thighs tightening around his lap as she bounced up and down, her hips circling on top of him.

“That’s it, baby, ride me harder,” he felt himself begin to twitch, knowing he’d be coming inside her sooner than he’d like, but she looked and felt so amazing in that moment that he couldn’t stop her.

Veronica slowed to a deep roll, her hips grinding against him as she leaned forward, “Is that what you want, baby?” she purred in his ear, “You want me to cum all over your dick while I ride you?” she nipped playfully on his neck, “You’re so big, daddy, so big and hard, I can’t take much more.”

Veronica tossed her hair over her shoulder, guiding his mouth to her mark, “Suck it,” she begged, “Suck it and make me cum.”

Sweet Pea licked a slow circle over the bite, her breathing picking up pace as he traced it slowly. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was. He imagined his life with her, getting to touch her this way whenever he wanted, getting to eat food off her body and sleep naked with her. He imagined the family they would have, the children that would look like her, he could picture her rocking their babies gently, their happy little family.

He exploded in that moment, pushing himself up to burry himself as deeply as he could within her as she cried out. He held her close to him as their breathing synced, his cum pouring warm and deep within her.

“You’ve got a dangerous mouth, Lodge,” he breathed, his forehead coming to rest on her shoulder.

“Just wait until you see what else my mouth is good at,” she teased, her fingers stroking through his hair.

He chuckled lightly as he cursed under his breath, “You can’t be real,” he sighed happily.

“You’re still inside me, you really think I’m an illusion,” she chuckled, her hips bucking lightly as he grabbed them to hold her in place.

“Do you think it will always be like this?” his eyes scanned her face tenderly.

“I hope so,” she stroked his cheek with her thumb.

“I can picture our future,” he admitted, his eyes starting to feel heavy, “I know you haven’t marked me yet, and it’s only been a few days, but I’ve just been thinking about it a lot.”

“Me too,” she smiled, “what does it look like for you?”

He grinned, shaking his head softly, “You first.”

She rolled her eyes playfully, “I imagined me cooking us breakfast and feeding each other, kind of like this afternoon, and us having everyone over and just laughing and enjoying each other’s company,” she swallowed, her eyes pulling away as she bit her lip nervously, “I imagined what you will be like with our kids, and how I hope they look like you.”

“They’ll look like you if we’re lucky,” he kissed the tip of her nose gently, “I’ve thought about our kids too,” he admitted.

“Are we crazy?” she smiled, her eyes filling with tears as she looked back at him, “Are we crazy to be thinking about that stuff so early?”

He shook his head at her as he tucked her hair behind her ear, “I don’t think it’s crazy to feel this way,” he whispered, “Sure, we’ve only known each other for a few days, but I’ve known about you for my whole life. I knew you were coming, I just never thought I’d be lucky enough to mate with someone as perfect as you.”

She grinned as she felt him pull out from her, his face softening as he held her closer to him and stood up, carrying her into the kitchen and setting her down on the counter. He turned on the sink and grabbed a towel, cleaning himself up before wetting another one and turning to her. He gently wiped the towel over her legs, his eyes avoiding hers as he realized how much he had shared with her.

Veronica reached for him, her hands cradling his face, dipping her head until she caught his eye. “I think you’re perfect too.”

He smiled at her, a wave of warmth and longing washing over him as he looked at her. He thought it was just him, but he realized it was her when he caught her neck out of the corner of his eye, the mark pulsing strongly.

He reached up and skimmed it softly, “We should eat,” he looked down at her and sighed, “but I really don’t want to get dressed.”

“Then let’s not get dressed,” she looked around him at the food piled on the table before hoping off the counter and rummaging through the containers and picking out the queso and guacamole, “this could be fun to eat off you,” she winked over her shoulder as she carried it back to the bedroom.

He groaned as he watched her walk away, reaching for one of the pies to take with them as well.

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Archie flipped the flashlight in his hand repeatedly, his eyes trained on the perimeter as he and Fangs started the night watch.

“Your territory is pretty quiet” he observed, not really expecting a reply.

“Pea’s family worked long and hard to create this peace,” Fangs offered, “Before his dad was alpha, there were constant territory wars and fights for power. But he worked with other pack leaders to clear boundaries of respect instead of land. It’s been fairly quiet since then.”

“Then why do you do these watches?” Archie wondered.

“No matter how far we’ve come, there will always be those on the outside trying to disrupt our peace,” Fangs explained.

“So, Sweet Pea; he’s a good guy then?” Archie looked to Fangs.

“The best I know,” Fangs smiled, “growing up with the future alpha could have been hard, but he never used his status for anything other than encouraging unity.”

“We’ve been worried for Veronica for years,” Archie drew his brows together, “Hiram wasn’t one for outside news, I think he’s always been afraid of someone challenging him. We weren’t sure what Veronica was going to go through when she got here.”

“You can tell she hasn’t had it as good as Pea has,” Fangs frowned, “and I know that it weighs heavily on him.”

“I just need to know she’ll be taken care of,” Archie sighed, “She has been the center of me and Jug’s world for so long, and knowing that we were going to lose her kind of shook us for bit. It still kind of shakes me, even knowing that he’s willing to take us in.”

“Family is really important to him,” Fangs stopped to pick up a rock as he tossed it in his hands.

“I really liked some of the places we looked at today,” Archie smiled as he changed the subject.

“Yeah, if I were you guys, I’d chose the one by the quarry,” Fangs nodded, his motives a little because it was a good area and a little more that it was around the corner from his place.

“That’s the one I was leaning towards,” Archie agreed, “of course, Jug is probably going pick the one on the other side of town, I saw the look on his face when Betty said she lives in the building.”

“It’s understandable,” Fangs masked the disappointment in his voice, “wanting to be near the person you’re interested in.”

“But what are we supposed to do when you guys live so far apart?” Archie shrugged as he walked ahead of Fangs, a blush falling over his face.

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“Besides the obvious, my building gets this great natural light in the mornings,” Betty smiled genuinely as she stirred the pasta cooking on the stove.

“The obvious?” Jughead pulled his brows together.

“Well, I just mean,” Betty stumbled slightly, “you guys are new and you don’t know a lot of people. I could help show you around.”

“So, you and Sweet Pea,” Jughead flicked his eyes to the pictures scattered around Sweet Pea’s living room, “Seems like you guys are pretty close.”

“No closer than you and Veronica, if that’s what you are implying,” Betty poured the pot into the waiting colander in the sink.

“Friends since birth then?” Jughead stood and moved to the refrigerator.

Betty nodded, “It’s been a little weird trying to figure out my life away from him though,” she admitted, “he’s just kind of always been there. But we haven’t really talked that much in the last few days.”

“When Ronnie left, Archie and I felt that hole too; like a piece of the puzzle was missing,” he poured them a glass of water before returning the jug.

“That’s a good way to describe it.” Betty agreed, pouring the sauce over the noodles. “I want to get to know Veronica better, but I also want to give them space to get to know each other. The longer I wait though the more it seems like I have a problem with her, which I don’t.”

“Veronica can come across a bit distant at first, her dad really put her through the ringer growing up and she’s never felt like she measures up,” he explained.

“I can understand that,” Betty sighed, “my mom was a bit of a monster as well.”

“I’m sorry,” he smiled as she pushed a plate in front of him.

“I’ve learned to live with it,” she shrugged, “but that shadow still looms from time to time.”

“She’ll like you once she’s settled here,” he twirled his fork through the spaghetti.

“Tell me about her?” Betty asked as she put her fork in her mouth.

“She’s quiet sometimes, and that’s usually when her mind is overthinking,” he put his fork down and looked at Betty, “She cares deeply about me and Archie, we’ve kind of been the only family for her since her mom died. I mean, sure, she has her dad, but Hiram is a different breed, you know? She has trouble standing up for herself, which is kind of why we’re so protective of her. She deserves the best because she’s amazing.”

“She sounds great,” Betty smiled genuinely, “I’m glad that she’s the one Sweet Pea ended up with. I was always worried she’d be opposite of him and he’d be miserable, of course, I never told him that. He can overthink things as well.”

“I just need to know that he’s going to be good to her,” Jughead felt a little uncomfortable asking about him to Betty.

“When he became alpha, he moved me into this house almost immediately,” Betty smiled at the memory, “he said that he’d be able to protect me better if he knew that I was down the hall instead of trapped in my mom’s house. He was grieving the loss of his parents, but his main concern was still making sure I was taken care of. That’s the kind of man he is, he puts everyone above himself.”

“She’s going to take care of him too,” Jughead smiled, “They’ll be amazing together, a true force to be reckoned with.”

“Do you ever think about finding a mate?” Betty dipped her head embarrassingly.

“Not until recently,” Jughead edged around the question, “There wasn’t really anyone that caught my eye in our old pack.”

“I’ve always thought that I’d be alone forever,” she still refused to meet his eyes, “I’ve kind of romanticized the idea of it. That I would know it was the right person when I felt that spark.”

“What kind of spark?” he grinned at her.

“You know, that electricity that that buzzes in the movies when two characters meet for the first time,” she smiled as she looked at him, “Like they know there’s a connection just waiting to happen just when they see each other across the room.”

“Ah, chemistry; how very Brando of you,” Jughead teased.

“Brando?” she chuckled.

“While arguably not his finest work,” Jughead added, “Guys and Dolls still a classic.”

“I never pictured you an old musical fan,” Betty smiled.

“Old movie fan more like it,” he corrected, a smile pulling at his mouth.

“I’ve never seen it,” Betty giggled when he gasped in mock horror.

“You’ve been deprived,” he stood, pushing his plate away and reaching for her hand, “Come on, we must correct this travesty right now.”

“I can’t live one more minute without seeing this movie?” Betty joked, following him into the living room and sitting on the couch next to him.

“Of course, you could,” he cocked his brow at her, “Like I said, its by far his best work. But you’ve spent the day dragging me and Archie around town looking for apartments and just fed me, it’s my turn to take care of you by introducing you to a simpler time.”

Betty grinned as he watched him pull up the app and download the movie, his eyes dancing across the screen as he interjected random facts about Frank Sinatra and Jean Marlon Brando. She felt a comforting calm settle across her body that she hadn’t felt with anyone before, not even Sweet Pea.

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“Favorite food?” Veronica asked lazily as Sweet Pea laid his head on her stomach, her fingers carding through his hair.

“Burgers,” he said immediately, “cooked on the grill; you?”

“My grandma’s pozole,” she grinned when he tilted his head up to look at her, “It’s a pork soup, with hominy and radishes and cabbage.”

“Sounds good,” he closed his eyes again, as he turned back to his original position, his arm slung over her legs as his thumb rubbed lazy circles on her hip.

“I’ll make it for you. What are you afraid of?” she asked her next question.

“Besides Cheryl when she’s in a bad mood?” he half joked, “Not being a good alpha; not being able to take care of my pack. It’s all sort of connected.”

“That’s a lot of pressure to put on yourself,” Veronica furrowed her brows with concern. “From the way they all talk about you, the way the coven lights up when you come around; the way you’ve put me first without even knowing me,” Veronica blushed, “you’re an amazing alpha.”

“What about you?” the pride that ran through him warmed his body.

“Not being enough, that maybe father was right and I’m just going to disappoint everybody,” she let the heaviness hang in the air, “And spiders, I hate spiders,” she tried to joke.

Sweet Pea pulled himself up as he hovered over her on his elbows. She swallowed hard and closed her eyes, hating that he now knew that about her.

“I’m sorry that your dad was such a dick,” he whispered, his thumb stroked soothingly over her bite.

She opened her eyes and looked at him, a vulnerability settling in her stomach that felt oddly comforting. 

“I don’t know if you’ll believe me when I say this,” Sweet Pea kissed the tip of her nose gently, “but when I was about 16, I had this dream about you, well not you per se, but who you were. I tried to talk to my mom about it and she told me the girl I was promised to was going to be better than anything I could ever dream of,” he paused as he smiled at the memory, “I don’t know how she knew, but so far, you have exceeded in everything.”

Veronica blinked back tears, biting her lip to hold it in, “Thank you,” she pulled his neck to bring him down to her.

Up to this point, every kiss they’d shared had been frantic and wild, she wasn’t prepared for the wave of pleasure that rolled over her as they kissed each other tenderly. He pulled the sheet between them away as he laid over her, her skin igniting as he touched her. She felt the goosebumps raise as his hand slowly circled across her stomach. He’d been so attentive of her, exploring and learning her body, studying the way she reacted as he touched and licked and sucked; oh god, how she loved it when he sucked.

She came up to her elbows, rolling them over onto his back as he smiled into her kiss. So, he liked it when she took control. She kissed across his jaw, and he moaned as she moved down the column of his neck, her hand dipping between them and gently grabbing his dick. She liked the sound of his moan, feeling it pulse between her legs. She nipped and kissed and sucked down his body, letting her breasts rub teasingly over him as his breathing picked up.

She looked up at him as she licked along the length of his dick, his eyes closing tight as he gripped the sheets under him. He likes that, she thought, what if she just put her mouth slowly over the tip? His heart skipped and she slowly slid down, taking as much of him in as she could and using her hands to stroke the rest. He hardened impossibly fast as she slightly sucked when she pulled back off him. His breathing picked up when she let her mouth pop off him.

“Veronica,” he moaned as she repeated herself, up and down, slowly and deliberate, sucking then humming, licking and moaning. “Veronica,” he stuttered, his hips bucking up as she sped up, she knew he was going to cum, she could feel the twitching deep in her throat as he called her name again. She wanted to please him, wanted him to have everything he’d ever wanted, wanted him to feel better than he ever had before.

As he came in her mouth, the warm, salty liquid sliding down her throat, he threw his head back, his hands reaching for her head and tangling his fingers in her hair.

“Shit,” he breathed, “what was that for?”

“You have to know, Sweets,” she crawled back up his body, “how incredibly special you are too,” she kissed at the skin under his throat, “how I’m going to spend the rest of my life making sure you never doubt yourself; how perfect we are for each other. I want to be everything you’ve ever dreamed of.”

“All my dreams?” she nodded at his question, “I’ll make a list,” he chuckled.

“A sex list?” she laughed, “There’s nothing off limits, daddy.”

“Fuck, how is that so hot?” he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hard.

“I don’t know, I’ve never had the daddy kink before you, but you’re brining out a whole different side of me,” she rolled her hips and turned them over again spreading her legs so he could settle between them.

“What about you?” he quirked a brow at her, “Want to make me a list too? I like to think there’s nothing I won’t try, but you are turning out to be quite dirty.”

Veronica laughed happily, “We don’t have enough time here to do everything I want.”

“I don’t want to leave tomorrow,” he whispered, “I don’t want you to put clothes back on.”

She laughed, “but we’ve been naked for two whole days.”

“And look how easy it is to ravish each other,” he countered.

“Is that one of the things on your list? No clothes allowed around our house?” she smirked.

“Oh, I like the idea of that,” he kissed her, “except for lingerie, I want to see you in what you think I’d like.”

“What do you like?” she wondered, her mind cataloging through the few pieces she had brought with her.

“Honestly, I don’t really know,” he hummed, “but I doubt anything you ever do could disappoint me.”

Veronica quirked her brow at him, “Are you getting hard again already?”

He shrugged his shoulders, “Wanna come take a shower with me, find out in there?”

Veronica nodded, “That one is pretty high on my list.”

“Well, I do aim to please,” he kissed her before standing up, letting the sheets pool around her before he walked into the bathroom.

Veronica grinned to herself, the satisfaction she felt calming her after the days of untapped desire. She heard the water turn on and clenched her thighs together, the pool already starting to form at the thought of what they were about to do.

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Veronica sighed as they pulled into their driveway, their little vacation fully coming to an end.

Sweet Pea groaned and she looked at him questioningly, “Fangs’ truck and Cheryl’s convertible,” he nodded in the direction of the cars parked to the side of the house. “I guess this means no more alone time for a while.”

“We can kick them out if it gets to be too much,” he smirked, her hand coming to rest on his thigh.

“It’s already too much,” he grinned as he pulled to a stop, “but I feel better now than I did three days ago.”

“Me too,” she leaned over the console and kissed him, smiling as his hand came to rest on the back of her neck.

“Ready to face the firing squad?” he asked as he pulled away. She tilted her head at him, confused at what that meant when he laughed and pointed to the curtains as they moved back into place, “You are out of your mind if you think Cheryl isn’t going to beg you for details.”

“Maybe I’ll trade details for those embarrassing stories you were worried about,” she joked as she got out of the car, careful to keep her legs together.

“You can head in if you want, I’ll grab the last pie that we didn’t eat,” he grinned at her.

“And enter the lion’s den alone? No thank you,” she followed him to the trunk and smirked.

“What’s that grin about Lodge?” he asked as he shut the trunk.

“You didn’t check your pockets, did you?” she turned and moved to towards the house, laughing when she heard him growl as his fingers felt the lace tucked safely in his front pocket.

“You’re gonna pay for that,” he called as he caught up to her.

“Promise?” he laughed as she opened the door, her brow quirked teasingly.

“Well, well, well,” Cheryl appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, “look what the cat dragged in. You’ve been gone so long we were worried you didn’t remember where you lived.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think I reported to you,” Sweet Pea challenged, dipping by Veronica’s ear and whispering, “say the word and will go back; they’ll never find us.”

Sweet Pea pushed past Cheryl as he moved into the kitchen, dropping the pie in front of Fangs as he opened the drawer next to the sink and pulled out a fork, tossing it next to him on the counter.

“It’s not like Hilda to only make one pie,” Fangs questioned as he immediately dug into it.

“We ate the rest,” he grinned at Veronica licking his lips happily.

“Nope, I don’t want to know any more of that story,” Fangs stood with the pie and headed to the back door.

Betty opened it and pushed through before Fangs went out, a smile on her face as she saw Sweet Pea standing there, “Welcome home, I’ve been,” but Cheryl cut her off before she could continue her thought.

“I don’t think so Betty,” she grabbed Veronica’s hand and drug her towards the stairs, “You are not delaying this anymore. Come on, let the men tend to the fire while we gossip upstairs.”

“Sorry Pea,” Betty smiled apologetically as she handed him the spatula. 

“Try and keep her in line, will ya?” he sighed as he followed Fangs out the back door.

Veronica was playfully rolling her eyes by the time Betty made it up the stairs.

“I already told you, I’m not going to give you details,” she pulled out a pair of shorts before moving to the dresser, grabbing a fresh pair of panties and pulling them up her legs, sliding them under her skirt the best she could while still trying to remain modest.

“Not wearing any panties? You must have had a very interesting weekend,” Cheryl quipped, the blush rising on Veronica’s face as she pulled the shorts on and slid the skirt down her legs.

“Cheryl,” Betty warned, sitting on the chair in the corner, “You can tell her to shut up anytime you want.”

“It’s ok,” Veronica smiled warmly at Betty, “I guess it’s expected that you guys would want to know something.”

“Yay!” Cheryl clapped, sticking her tongue out at Betty as if she won.

“All I will say, is that we had an amazing weekend, and that Hilda makes the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had,” Veronica turned to her closet again and pulled out a tank top.

“Cinnamon rolls? Is that a euphemism for something that I don’t know about?” Cheryl scrunched up her face.

“Pea is going to murder you, Cheryl,” Betty tossed a pillow at her before turning to Veronica, “I’m glad you guys had a good time. I knew that all you needed was a little alone time to get to know each other.”

“It really did help,” Veronica turned her back to them and pulled her top over her head, a gasp falling from Cheryl’s lips as Veronica pulled the tank top on and turned to her.

“Looks like you guys really did have a fun time!” Cheryl giggled. Veronica moved to the standing mirror in the corner, lifting her shirt as she looked over her shoulder, the fading purple marks littering her hips and lower back.

“I refuse to be embarrassed by this,” Veronica tilted her chin in defiance.

“I never said you should be,” Cheryl countered, “I’d show you mine, but they’re in a much more private area.”

“Oh god, Cheryl,” Betty groaned as she shook her head.

Veronica giggled as she sat on the bed next to her, her hands in her lap as she swallowed, “I’ve never had girlfriends to talk about this kind of stuff with,” she looked between Cheryl and Betty, “Archie and Jug are great, but it’s nice to have you guys.”

“Speaking of Jughead,” Cheryl turned her attention to Betty, “I noticed a bit of quiet conversations between the two you tonight,” she wiggled her brows suggestively.

“Stop,” Betty warned, her eyes avoiding Veronica.

“Jug is one of the best guys I know,” Veronica smiled, “I could give you some pointers if you like; he’s not really good at making the first move.”

“You wouldn’t mind?” Betty bit her lip nervously.

“Of course not,” Veronica leaned forward and held her hand out for Betty, “I know that I wasn’t very open when I first got here, but it’s just because you’re so beautiful and kind and I was crazy jealous.”

“Do you know how jealous I’ve been of you?” Betty squeezed her hand, “Jughead and Archie have done nothing but sing your praises these last few days; it’s been easy to feel like I can never measure up to you.”

“Friends?” Veronica asked, standing up and holding her arms out.

“I’d like that a lot,” Betty wrapped her arms around her tightly.

“Alright you two,” Cheryl stood happily and wrapped her arms around the two of them.

Veronica pulled away and shoved her hands in her pockets, “Not that I’m inviting comments on this,” she looked to Cheryl, “but I’m thinking of going shopping tomorrow, to maybe pick out a few things for Pea, I could definitely use some female opinions if it’s not too weird.”

“Oh my god, this is the greatest day ever!” Cheryl squealed.

Veronica smiled as they came back down the stairs, the sound of Sweet Pea laughing from the backyard filling her heart. This is exactly what she imagined, the two of them surrounded by their friends, happy and content.

He was sitting in a chair by the fire pit, his feet propped up as he chatted with Archie.

“I don’t know man, it’s just a completely different vibe here,” Archie laughed as he took a drink of his beer.

“It’s a better vibe here,” Veronica smiled as she stepped between them, putting her hand on Sweet Pea’s shoulder as she sat down in his lap, her legs dangling off the arm of the chair towards Archie. He nuzzled his face in her neck, kissing her softly before settling back in the chair. 

“Look at you, all lovey dovey,” Archie teased, reaching out and grabbing at her toes.

“Jealous?” Veronica teased back, pulling her foot away and curling closer to Sweet Pea.

“I just mean, you look happy,” he smiled, “it’s good to see you smile so much. It’s been a long time coming.”

“What about you?” Veronica raised her brows suggestively.

“I mean, I put it out there and he didn’t really respond,” Archie shrugged, “I just assumed that meant he wasn’t interested.”

“Fangs talks a big game, but he’s not really good at picking up on hints,” Sweet Pea offered, “if you’re interested, you’re gonna have to just spell it out for him.”

“What do I even say?” Archie shrugged, “Hey, want to go bang?”

Veronica laughed loudly, putting her hand over her mouth when Archie looked annoyed at her.

“I don’t think you have to be that bold,” Sweet Pea chuckled, “There’s a river that runs through our land back there,” he pointed over Archie’s shoulder, “maybe see if he wants to show you?”

“Then what?” Archie asked, looking over at Fangs who what talking with Cheryl, Betty, and Jughead.

“Ask if he wants to go bang,” Sweet Pea joked, “that line is starting to grow on me.”

“It’s very romantic,” Veronica agreed sarcastically.

Archie took a deep breath and walked over to the group.

“Hey,” Sweet Pea whispered in her ear, “wanna go bang?” Veronica laughed as she turned to him, peppering his face with kisses.

“What did you and the girls talk about?” he asked, running his hands up her legs and toying with the edge of her shorts.

“Worried they spilled the beans?” she played with the hair at the base of his neck.

“Nah,” he smiled lazily, “I’m glad that we’re home, but I kind of wish it were just us.”

“It will be soon,” Veronica looked up and smiled as Cheryl came to sit in the chair that Archie was in.

“Figured I’d give those two a little alone time,” Cheryl tucked her legs up in the chair. “I know you’re just trying to relax tonight, but Toni told me about what happened to Cerberus.”

Sweet Pea sighed, “It just doesn’t make any sense,” he shook his head, “I feel like it has to be staring us straight in the face, but I don’t know who would want to hurt him.”

“What if he wasn’t the target?” Veronica wondered out loud.

“What do you mean?” Sweet Pea looked at her.

“I just mean, to attack a town that is pretty much all witches just to get to one wolf, it doesn’t make much sense,” she explained.

“That’s a good point,” Cheryl hummed, “I mean, we’re only an hour away, if you were really going for wolves why wouldn’t you come here?”

“Because I’m here,” he thought quietly.

“I’m not sure I follow,” Veronica drug her finger lazily across his shoulder.

“If you want to come for wolves, I’m here, I could fix it,” he explained, “if you want to test it out, you do it somewhere there’s no alpha. He was kind of a sitting duck. I was just able to get to him before it was too late.”

“So, if that theory holds, who would have it out for us?” Cheryl asked, the thought that anyone would mess with them seeming so foreign.

Betty laughed loudly at something Jughead said and Veronica felt Sweet Pea’s pulse quicken. “What is it?” she asked, concern written on her face.

“Polly was in town a few days ago, right?” he growled as he looked at Cheryl, “If Polly showed her face, Alice can’t be too far behind.”


End file.
